


Fairy Garden

by ShivaeSyke



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bullying, Corgi, Depression, F/M, Fairies, Fluff, Goblins, Human Bog King (Strange Magic), Mutual Pining, Suicidal Thoughts, Victim Blaming, fairy dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 55,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22174855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShivaeSyke/pseuds/ShivaeSyke
Summary: Bog King tends his fairy garden, taking care of the butterflies and other wildlife that calls his land home, but it's the butterflies he loves the most.A year ago, Bog was involved in a severe car wreck that left him with constantly crippling pain.  Sheer stubbornness has him on his feet again, trying to keep doing everything he used to do despite it, because the living creatures on his land depend on him.  Drinking to ease the pain over medication is a poor choice, especially when the fairy he hallucinated begins speaking to him.Now, he has a fairy woman, Princess Marianne, in his house, a human version of her courtesy of his corgi, Brutus, transporting her from the fairy world to the human one, studying him to see what the perfect gift would be for such a caring man. She brings him healing and confusion. Only, he's not the only one confused as Princess Marianne begins to admit a few things to herself about the human man she's been watching for years.
Relationships: Bog King/Marianne (Strange Magic), Dawn/Sunny (Strange Magic)
Comments: 208
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EndoratheWitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/gifts).

> It makes me so happy to see so many kudos on this story. I really enjoyed it and I will likely rewrite it and fold it into the greater universe I'm creating, with additional stories... sadly, they won't be SM stories in name, but I'm plotting something epic.

Bog hobbled around his garden, a heavy crutch supporting him, ignoring the pain. He held a large bag of sliced fruit and another bag that held a slurry of molasses, beer, and brown sugar. Grumbling, he made his way slowly to the end of the vegetable garden, where he grew a wide variety of flowers. It was a big backyard and seemed even bigger with his problems walking.

Gone were the days of being able to stride out into his garden, tend to the only life he would ever father, and enjoy nature. A disastrous wreck involving a drunk driver not seeing him on his motorcycle, left him crippled for life, but he persisted in doing everything he did before with a stubborn resolve. Squirrels, rabbits, deer, frogs, and the lovely butterflies depended on him. He wouldn't let them down.

His dog, Brutus, toddled after him. Brutus was a gift from his mother, so he wouldn't be lonely, and the tan and white corgi was a sensitive, sweet dog. He could be bullheaded, but who in his family wasn't? The important thing was, he had someone who was always happy to see him and cuddled up to him constantly.

Every few days, Bog set out fruit and slurry around it in the middle of a once beautifully maintained fairy garden. He built the little homes himself and liked to imagine fairies really lived in them. His yard was always full of colorful butterflies and the vegetable garden flourished, which was a good thing, because he hated bothering his mother to go into town to shop for groceries. Bog made due with what he had out of sheer stubbornness.

The wreck left him with a massive insurance settlement, which did him little good when he couldn't walk normally. Bog would have traded it all away to stand tall, walk, run, ride his motorcycle again, and stop hurting. The pain was constant and he nursed it away with alcohol over medication. A little here, a little there. He was constantly buzzed, but able to take care of work.

The only good thing about the accident was that now he could pursue his dreams as a writer. Nobody would nag him about getting a real job or if he had finished his book yet.

Bog was free to live as he wanted for the rest of his life and right now, the only thing that gave his life meaning was feeding the butterflies. Stupid little bits of color, floating here and there, following him as though they knew he was bringing them a treat. He loved them so much. They brought a rare smile to his face.

The pedestals, repurposed fine china plates with beautiful decorations, Bog set out to feed the butterflies on were cleaned earlier and the insects were already gathering around the edges, flapping their wings and floating up, then drifting to another one. There were so many butterflies.

With a heavy sigh, Bog carefully began pouring the beer mixture onto each plate, then he put the fruit in the middle. Today there were sliced strawberries, oranges, and bananas in the mix. When he was done, he limped to a nearby iron bench to sit down and watch the butterflies swarm onto the fruit. 

"Ungrateful jerks," grumbled Bog, watching as the butterflies that were previously floating around him left to take their part of the offering. He sighed, settling back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. A gentle breeze rustled the nearby trees and the sound of the small waterfall he built for the more amphibious life and dragonflies rose above the silence. Brutus laid down at his feet, resting his head over one shoe with a sigh.

The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight. It would be a good day and in a few minutes, Bog would gather himself up and hobble back to the house. He would pick up the notebook he was writing in and get started on a story he had in mind, inspired by the butterflies and the creatures in his garden. Some sort of nice little short story about fairies and goblins.

Bog blinked as a butterfly's wings filled his view. He couldn't identify the species, but the wings were a brilliant shade of blue that shimmered to purple as the light hit them. It wasn't a butterfly. Gasping, Bog laid completely still, his eyes narrowing on the form standing on his nose. 

The butterfly looked like a tiny human about five inches tall. She wore a dusky pink tunic, black leggings and had a sword strapped around her waist. Her short auburn hair was wild, eyes gleaming amber, and he could see the dark makeup on her face and tips of her pointed ears. She was making faces at him, seemingly annoyed that he wasn't paying attention to her.

"I've had too much to drink, little butterfly," groaned Bog, remaining completely still, staring at her. This was the most fascinating hallucination and he wanted to fix her form in his mind for his story.

She kicked him on the nose.

"OW!" Bog wrinkled his nose. "Don’t do that." This hallucination was affecting all his senses. The fairy heaved her shoulders and hopped off his nose, heading to the side of his head. He turned his head to follow her and she glared at him, motioning for him to stop moving. She flew to the other side and he felt her feet touch down near his ear.

"I am not a butterfly." Bog blinked as the barely perceptible voice sounded in his ear. She was yelling, her voice higher pitched than it should have been. "My name is Marianne and we have a problem that we need your help with."

"A problem? What can I do for a fairy?" Bog grumbled, remaining still and listening.

"You're a human. You can stop them from destroying my home, our home." The fairy continued speaking slowly.

"Oh," sighed Bog, closing his eyes. "Yer afraid of the building that's going on nearby?"

"Yes. They've already destroyed several colonies and everyone is evacuating here, because you're kind enough to feed them." Marianne continued. "My kingdom is not far from here. My people are frightened of your machines."

"They aren't my machines," snorted Bog. "I own all the land that surrounds this house. There are red ribbons on the trees on my border. If yer kingdom is inside the red ribbons, ye are safe. I promise, Marianne."

"It is," The fairy stated. "Why are you so kind?"

"I'm not." Bog grumbled. "I've done awful, stupid things in my life and I'm paying for it now. The universe has a way of giving ye back what ye put into it. Ye reap what ye sow and I've sowed a lot of idiocy."

"But you think about things that are so far beneath you." Marianne continued. Bog closed his eyes, smiling slightly at the beautiful, strong voice. "Why?"

"Butterflies are beautiful, God's handiwork, and I figure I can help out a little here and there." He mumbled, feeling sleepy. "They're free, without worries, and I am the king of my garden, where I provide and care for all of my subjects. They don't have to worry about anything, because I care about them that much." Bog chuckled," I am the Bog King. Fitting title for an idiot like me. That's even my name, Bog King." He sighed and let sleep overtake him, still thinking he was drunk.

Marianne frowned, looking at the human sadly. She folded her arms and pondered something. The human's fairy dog looked up at her and winked. She smiled back and floated into the air, heading off into the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog's having a LOT of hallucinations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We won't discuss why I shouldn't be doing this.  
Not edited at ALL. Yeah, the last time I did this, I wrote Prince of LIght, Queen of Shadows. :/

Bog fell asleep in his favorite recliner in the den, one of his mother's colorful quilts draped over his legs. It was too much trouble to get to his bedroom and the recliner was where he slept most of the time anyway. A pile of notebooks sat on the nearby side table next to a half empty bottle of bourbon and an empty glass.

After the incident with the hallucination in the fairy garden, Bog tried not to drink anything, but the pains in his legs, hips, and back became overwhelming. One glass became two, then a third to get a good night's sleep. 

"Crap! Why am I naked?!" A female voice shrieked from Bog's kitchen, making him jump. He blinked up at the darkness, gathering his bearings. It was just a dream. A very weird dream. He sighed and closed his eyes, hearing Brutus' nails on the kitchen tile. 

Bog's eyes popped open again at the sound of more swearing and creaking coming from the kitchen. Someone was in his house? He reached for his crutch, scowling. Crippled or not, he was going to confront whoever it was and beat them with his crutch.

With a groan, Bog swung himself upright, getting his crutch tangled in the quilt. He fought it for a moment, taking his gaze off the door to the hall. 

"Do NOT turn around." A woman growled at him, her voice coming from the doorway. "I'm going to pick up that quilt at your feet until I can find something suitable to wear."

"Ye need to get out of my house, not stand there giving orders," snapped Bog, glancing over his shoulder. He almost fell over in shock as a very naked young woman rushed up to him and grabbed for the quilt at his feet.

"I said, don't turn around!" She jerked the quilt and pulled the crutch out from under Bog. He crashed to the floor in an excruciating pile of pain, crying out as he hit the hard wood.

"Oh, no." The woman pulled the quilt around her body and leaned over Bog. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"But ye did, now kindly get out of my house before I beat you with my crutch!" Bog snarled, jabbing at her with the crutch he still held in his hand. "Leave! Brutus!"

The dog made a whuffing sound, sitting down next to the woman. She knelt and laid a hand on Bog's leg.

"Don't touch me!" Bog attempted to scoot away, swinging the crutch at her as hard as he could manage. She yelped as it hit her on the arm.

"Knock it off! I'm not going to hurt you. It's me, Marianne." She reached out again, holding her hand over Bog's leg. "Let me help you."

Bog stared at her. His hallucinations were getting bigger. There was something wrong with his head. That was it. He was finally going crazy and if crazy was sending him a naked young woman, who was he to argue. Maybe this was one of THOSE dreams. Bog smiled slightly, if it was one of THOSE dreams, this was going to be an amazing hallucination.

"How are you going to help me?" Bog asked through half-lidded eyes, his thoughts drifting in a less than pure direction. She wasn't really there. This was all a dream.

"First of all, don’t look at me like that," snarled Marianne, reaching out to smack him lightly on the head with the heel of her hand. "What is wrong with you, Bog King?"

"You're a dream. I'm dreaming." He winced, falling back on the floor and relaxing. "I am dreaming."

"No, you're not." Marianne squeezed hard on Bog's leg just above the knee. His entire body spasmed uncontrollably with pain and he howled. "That's really bad."

"No. Kidding." Bog trembled, trying to catch his breath. "Please, just leave me alone." He wiped a hand over his face, discreetly wiping away the tears around his eyes. "Go away."

"Let me try this." Marianne laid her hand up higher on his thigh. Bog squirmed, not into whatever it was this dream wanted to do with him. She closed her eyes and her entire body took on a faint golden light. Bog blinked and stared as warmth spread from her hand into his leg, easing the pain a little. "Ah, I know where it's coming from. Try to roll over so I can get to your back."

Bog sighed and shifted, the minor easing of his pain making him more willing to comply. Her warm hand left him, then he felt her lifting his shirt, pushing it up to expose his back. He winced, knowing what she would see. 

Marianne's warm hand passed over the gnarled scarring that tore into his body from his hip to his lower back and around his waist. He closed his eyes, sighing, "Not pretty. I know. Not that it was nice looking to begin with."

"Your back was broken and the nerves are all messed up. That's why you can't walk without the crutch?" She pressed her fingers into the middle of his back, biting her lower lip. "It happened last winter, didn't it? You were fine the previous Fall."

"Yeah." Bog looked at her over his shoulder for a moment, then laid his head down on his arm, resigned to letting the hallucination do whatever she wanted to. "I had a lot of complications. They told me I wouldn't walk, but I proved them wrong," he finished with a self-satisfied snort.

"But you're in a lot of pain." Marianne pressed her fingers in harder and warmth flooded through Bog, a very pleasant sensation that took away all of his pain and for the first time in over a year, he felt normal. "I can only stop it for a short time, a few days."

Bog's eyes widened and he rolled over, sitting up and marveling at his movement. He could move again and the first thing he did was cry out in glee and lunge at the angel kneeling near him. His arms wrapped around her tightly in a hug and he kissed her on the cheek, missing her mouth as she tried to squirm away. "Thank ye!" 

He didn't see the fist coming, catching him in the jaw so hard he saw stars and fell back. It wasn't THAT kind of dream at all. Bog groaned, rubbing his jaw and blinking at Marianne. She glared at him, her golden brown eyes smoldering at him in anger as she clutched the quilt back around her.

"I'm sorry! Ye don't understand!" Bog lifted a hand toward her, beginning to realize this wasn't a dream more and more. Then he burst into tears, heaving at overwhelming relief and horror that he insulted her.

"Look here, you do not touch me, Bog King." Marianne rose, glancing around the room. "Do you have anything I could wear?"

"Yer not leaving?" Bog stared at her, trying his hardest to stop the flow of unmanly tears. It had been a long, depressing year on top of a series of long depressing decades. "I am really sorry. He pushed himself upright and got his feet under him. Bog wobbled, then stood with a laugh. "I can stand upright!" He lifted his arms into the air, leaning back.

"Don't overdo it," sighed Marianne. "I blocked the pain. It will last a few days. I want you to tell me if you start hurting again and I'll fix it. I am giving you one week of my time, Bog King."

"Why?" Bog lowered his arms and looked at her.

"We'll discuss that later. Now. Clothes?" Marianne kept the quilt pulled tight around her.

"My room is down the hall on the right." Bog motioned. "Uh, if you're staying, I would be more than happy to take you out in the morning to get something to wear."

"I would like that." Marianne nodded with a slight smile, turning and leaving down the hall. Brutus bounced eagerly after her, leaving Bog staring in wonder.

The crutch was on the floor. Bog squatted, stretching his legs. His knees both popped and there were other creaking noises. His physical therapists, before he quit going to them, insisted there was nothing wrong with his muscles, it was the nerves, just as Marianne said. Pain was his prison and now it was momentarily gone and there was a very pretty woman in his house, in his room, putting on his clothes, who might or might not be a hallucination.

Bog fell back onto a nearby couch, staring at the door, waiting to see if Marianne would really return or if it was just his dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I COULD NOT LEAVE BOG BEING SO INCREDIBLY SAD!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not a dream and Bog is thrilled with this single week of being pain free. He's going to make the best of this week and be the best host he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *GROAN* I shouldn't be doing this.... The whole story formed and oh is it going into some weird directions when the obvious happens. :D Poor Bog. I think the worse situation he starts in, the more amazing he is when he gets to shine. I was going to stick to a single person pov and only use Bog, but the story feels fuller with her side.

Being a gentleman was difficult when an attractive woman walked into your living room wearing one of your t-shirts. Bog couldn’t keep a straight face, trying not to stare. He could feel the blush burning over his entire body when Marianne returned in a long black t-shirt that might as well have been a dress on her. It fell to the middle of her thighs. 

“Much better,” she sighed, stepping through the door. “Do you have a bedroom I can sleep in, preferably with a door?” 

“Yes.” Bog swallowed hard, getting up. “The guest room is made up for when my Mom visits.” 

“Oh, that delightful lady with the red hair? That’s your mother?” Marianne smiled, in a better mood now 

“Yes.” Bog nodded in response. “I’m sorry,” he apologized again. 

“Has anyone ever told you, you have the most beautiful eyes?” Marianne stepped next to the door. “They are so incredibly blue.” 

Bog blinked at the compliment, unsure how to respond. 

“Can you show me to your guest room?” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Bog nervously walked past her, wringing his hands. 

“Don’t call me Ma’am,” groaned Marianne. “I’m not old enough to be a Ma’am.” 

“I didn’t mean to imply ye were. It’s just a term of respect,” sighed Bog, leading her down the hall. He was grateful and wanted to show her his gratitude, but seemed to be falling all over himself. “What do fairy men call you out of respect?” 

Marianne looked away, worrying her lower lip. “Marianne is fine, Bog King.” 

“Bog is fine, Marianne.” He smiled, opening the door to the guest room, flipping the light switch. “I’m afraid it might be dusty.” 

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Marianne walked past him, glancing up with a pleasant smile. 

“What time?” 

“After sunrise.” 

“I’ll be here.” 

The door closed, and Bog stared at it for a moment. This wasn’t a dream. He looked down to see Brutus at his feet. “It’s not a dream.” Bog half expected the dog to talk back to him, but Brutus merely made a typical wuff in response. 

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Bog bounced out of bed, whistling a happy tune as he walked through his house to the kitchen. His head was clearer than it had been in months, and he was well-rested. The pain kept him from getting a good night’s sleep, and now it was gone. It wasn’t a dream. A fairy woman with the power to heal was in his home, and he needed to treat her well. A week of being pain-free was a gift. 

Brutus was fed, then Bog turned to the refrigerator. The refrigerator was meagerly stocked, but Bog would fix that after a trip into town. He had fresh vegetables from his garden, eggs, butter, and cheese. Omelets were on the menu for breakfast. The sun was streaming through the kitchen windows, and his guest would be up soon. 

Bog slid an omelet onto a plate just as Marianne appeared in the doorway. He almost missed the plate, jumping at the sudden presence of another person. 

“Good morning.” She smiled walking into the kitchen. Bog turned quickly to put the pan back on the stove, caught off-guard by the fact that she wasn’t in his t-shirt. He had forgotten his mother kept a few outfits in her room. 

Marianne twirled with a laugh, showing off the cotton dress she found in the closet. It was an old fashioned dress with a short-sleeved, dark purple top, and a flower-patterned bottom. Bog was sure his mother made the dress herself, and that’s why it was still in good shape after all these years. 

His mother was a short woman, so the bottom of the dress stopped well over Marianne’s knees, and it was snug. She wore sandals to complete the outfit, which seemed a little small for her feet.

“I hope you don’t mind.” Marianne stopped by the table. 

“No, I don’t. It’s my mom’s, and she wouldn’t mind either.” Bog motioned to the plate. “I made ye breakfast, Marianne.” 

“What is it?” She slid into the chair in front of the plate and picked up the fork to poke at the omelet. 

“It’s an omelet, vegetable, cheese.” Bog’s face paled in horror, and he leaned over the table to snatch the plate just as Marianne brought her fork down to try a bite. “I am so sorry!” 

Marianne scrunched up her face at him, staring. 

“It has eggs in it. Would ye prefer fruit?” Bog scowled at the plate. It was so stupid of him to give a fairy eggs. They probably didn’t even eat meat. 

“I’m eating that.” Marianne leaned over the table and grabbed the plate. 

“Ye eat eggs?” Bog settled into the chair opposite her to watch. 

“On rare occasion.” She took a fork full and shoved it into her mouth, then closed her eyes and smiled. “This is good.” 

“Thank you,” Bog sighed in relief and got up to make his own. Months of pain made simple things like preparing meals and eating a chore, and most days, he picked at food here and there. He rarely made a meal. His heart was never in it. Now, he was famished. 

Bog placed his hand over his ribs, dragging his fingers over them, noting how deep the grooves were between them. He was a thin man, to begin with, but he was sure he was close to being a walking skeleton at this point. 

-=-=-=-=-=-

Marianne enjoyed the human food and the company. She had watched Bog from afar for years out of curiosity. A few times, she ventured close enough to land on the back of his chair, once on his shoulder to read what he was writing. He never noticed her or any of the other fairies because he only saw butterflies. The mind saw what it chose to see, and he didn’t see her for what she was until she made him focus on her. 

Father was furious when Marriane told him they were safe, and she made an error mentioning the fairy dog. She asked how they worked and when her father asked why she answered honestly. Bog deserved something for taking care of the displaced fairies and providing additional food for their own kingdom. She wanted to spend a week in the human world with him and find out what he needed. 

Her father ordered her not to do it, and she defied him openly, stating she made up her mind and was going. She laughed at her father when he yelled at her that she was grounded. He couldn’t ground her, she was well past that age, then he ordered the guards to escort her to her room. Marianne fled the castle and her kingdom with guards close behind. 

The guards did not stop pursuing until she reached Bog’s house and hitched a ride on his dog into the kitchen through a small flap in the backdoor. The next thing she knew, she stood in the dark kitchen, towering over the dog, completely naked with an upset stomach. 

Bog sat down in front of her with a plate as she finished her last bite. “Would ye like more?” He asked, motioning to his plate. 

“I’m good.” Marianne smiled and got up to put the dish in the sink. “I could use a drink.” 

“I’m afraid I only have water,” Bog grumbled, then added in a lower mutter. “And bourbon, wine, … beer.” 

“A little early for that. Do all humans drink as much as you?” Marianne began opening cupboards, looking for a glass. 

“Probably not,” mumbled Bog, his mouth full. “Do fairies have plumbing?” He glanced over his shoulder, wondering if he needed to show her how to use the faucet. 

“Yes.” Marianne toyed with the faucet, a glass in hand. “We are very sanitary if that’s what you’re wondering.” 

“Oh.” Bog’s face turned red again. “I uh, did.” 

Marianne returned to the table and smiled. “Bog, think of us as tiny humans with wings. We work in the same way.” 

“But ye heal?” Bog went back to his breakfast, trying to eat quickly. “Where did your wings go?” 

“I assume your dog is carrying them.” Marianne motioned to Brutus, who sat quietly next to the table, waiting for someone to notice him and possibly offer him a tidbit. 

“Brutus, it has onions in it. Ye can’t have any.” Bog smirked at the dog, who snorted at him. “I don’t see any wings on him.” 

“Your dog is a fairy dog.” Marianne leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands. “He is a mode of transportation between my world and your world. I don’t know how it works, and this is the first time I’ve ever done this.” 

“Lucky me.” Bog smiled, giving Marianne a longer look. 

“I’m not sure if that’s lucky or not, because now you have to deal with me and I’ve been told I’m a huge pain in the butt.” Marianne smiled. “I am annoying.” 

Bog blinked at her, looking confused, then he gave her a lopsided smile, barely showing his teeth. “Marianne, ye giving me just one week of being like I used to be is worth whatever hell ye put me through.” 

“Thank you. I will try not to annoy you.” She smiled, studying Bog as he finished his breakfast. He was a good looking man, even with the unnatural thinness and lack of wings. 

Marianne wasn’t sure why Bog seemed to think otherwise. When she complimented his eyes, he looked so shocked, like nobody in his life had ever paid attention to him. The scars were awful, and he had more than just the ones on his back and sides, but something about him always drew her to him. 

For years, she watched him, walking through his garden, into the surrounding land, sometimes coming close to their kingdom. In early spring, he scattered meal out for the birds, left piles of nuts for the squirrels, and took care of the ducks that wintered in the nearby pond. And he took care of the butterflies, most of which were fairies this year. He was a good, caring man, and he did not deserve the hand fate dealt him. 

“I’m going to take ye out on my motorcycle for a little ride, then we’ll go to my neighbor’s house and see if her son is free to take us into town.” Bog finished and got up. 

“Motorcycle?” Marianne repeatedly curiously. 

“The big noisy thing I used more before the accident. I had two. I’ve been maintaining the one I have left for the day I could ride it again.” Bog explained, running a little water to clean the plates and silverware. 

“Oh, I remember. Sounds like fun.” She smiled, thankful he didn’t attempt to get any more information out of her about her or her Kingdom. The last thing she wanted was to tell him she was a princess. It would change how he treated her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I did a story with Bog watching Marianne, I thought a good turnaround was Marianne watching Bog. :D  
I've written 5 chapters and Marianne's already done something I love.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog introduces Marianne to his motorcycle, which she loves, then a car, which she does NOT love.

Marianne laughed, clutching her arms tightly around Bog as they roared down a dirt road at high speed. They were both wearing helmets, something Bog insisted on. He wore a leather jacket over a black shirt and jeans. The motorcycle sped up and down the road a few more times, only picking up speed for a few minutes at a time, because he worried about how good his judgment and balance were after a year of sitting, out of tune with his senses.

It made Bog feel good to get out and feel the power and exhilarating speed once again. Better, there were arms wrapped around him and a female body pressed against his back, trusting him. Of course, if anything happened and she was hurt, he was sure she could probably heal herself and be fine. Even with that thought, he took care, not pushing things too far.

Bog pulled into his neighbor’s driveway and rolled up to park in front of a large old farmhouse, similar to his own. Marianne slid off and wobbled. Bog caught her by the arm, before thinking about the fact she told him not to touch her. He held on, waiting for her to yell at him, that was the typical response he received when doing something nice for a woman.

“My legs are vibrating!” Marianne laughed, grabbing onto his shoulder. “But it was fun!”

“We can do it again another time.” Bog let go of her hand and pulled a thick wooden cane out of the pack behind the seat. He knew he had to keep up pretenses in town, or there would be questions he didn’t want to answer. Pretending to use the cane would work well enough.

“Bog King!” An older woman with dark brown hair and tan skin walked onto the porch. “What are you doing making all that racket? My chickens won’t lay eggs for a week with all that noise!”

“Good morning, Mrs. Kadan. Is Sunny available for a trip into town?” Bog used the cane to walk closer. The woman stared at him.

“Are you having a good day, Bog?” She glanced to Marianne. “Who is she?”

“A rare day, yeah. This is Marianne, she’s my guest for a week and I need to go into town and do some shopping.” Bog leaned on the cane, peering at Mrs. Kadan.

“Oh, you have a lady friend?” The woman chuckled and smiled at Bog.

“No, it’s not like that,” sighed Bog, lowering his gaze, trying to keep the blush tinging his cheeks from showing. “Not at all.”

“I’ll get Sunny.” Mrs. Kadan nodded and went inside.

-=-=-=-=- 

“Bog! You’re walking!” A young man in overalls and a red tshirt, with the same complexion as Mrs. Kadan, burst through the front doors and ran down the stairs. He ran a hand through his thick spiked up black hair and circled Bog and Marianne. 

“This is Sunny.” Bog smirked, motioning to him. “Sunny, this is Marianne.”

“Hi!” He greeted her, holding out his hand. Marianne stared at the hand, then reached out to take it. What a strange young man.

“Sunny, we need to go into town and I want to discuss hiring you to tend to my house and garden in the future.” Bog took a step back.

“Nice to meet you,” stated Marianne, attempting to get her hand back. 

“I’m sorry, pret-women make me nervous.” Sunny winced and let go, a worried look passing over his face.

“It’s okay,” sighed Marianne with a smile.

“About the job?”

“Oh, right, thank you so much, Bog! Mom’s been on me all winter about finding a regular job.” Sunny clasped his hands and grimaced. “And a girlfriend.”

“Join the club.’ Bog rolled his eyes. “Okay, enough talking, you know how much I hate town. And people.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Riding in a car was a strange experience. Bog told Marianne what she needed to do when she got in, so she wouldn’t raise any suspicions. He would help her if she had any trouble. She didn’t. Pulling the seatbelt out and strapping it over her shoulder and waist was easy. What wasn’t easy was tolerating a binding that held her down. She didn’t like that at all and squirmed around for a few minutes, until the car started.

Holding back her momentary fear at being trapped in a moving box was difficult. Marianne grimaced and threw her right arm out, smacking Bog in the chest, then she dug her fingers into him.

“Uh, are you okay?” Sunny stopped the car, glancing back at the panicked look on Marianne’s face.

“She’s fine. Motion sickness.” Bog reached up to place his hand over Marianne’s, trying to lightly pry her fingers out of his skin.

“Okay,” Sunny stated, not sounding convinced that was what was going on.

“Relax,” Bog leaned over and whispered, folding his fingers over Marianne’s hand.

“I’m trying,” She whispered back, clenching his hand tightly as the car began moving again. “I don’t like this.”

“It’s the same thing as the motorcycle.”

“No, it’s not. I’m inside the thing.” Marianne clenched her teeth and gave Bog a plaintive look. 

She did not enjoy the ride, cringing at every bounce and jolt. The ceiling was too close and she was knocked around. It was like her ability to balance was completely gone. Cars were awful. Why did humans travel in these things?

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog watched Marianne in concern. She looked absolutely miserable and he wanted to comfort her, but the only thing he could do was hold her hand. Her short nails dug into the palm of his hand, breaking the skin repeatedly, she was that upset.

“Stop at the first clothing store on Main, Sunny.” Bog began giving instructions. “When we’re done there, we’re going to walk down the street. You can meet us at the Corner Cafe at noon for lunch. My treat. Then we’ll do grocery shopping and head home. Sound good?”

“Yup. I have some things I can do,” Sunny replied cheerily.

A few minutes later, Sunny pulled into a parking space and Bog opened the door to get out. He intended to go around to the other side and assist Marianne, but she shakily scrambled out to follow him.

“I hate that thing!” She hissed, circling around to put Bog between her and the car.

“I can tell,” chuckled Bog, leaning on his cane.

“It’s not funny!” Marianne fumed, stamping a foot down on the pavement. Her ankle turned and she yelped, kneeling to keep from falling.

“Ye get used to them.” Bog smiled, motioning to the nearby clothing store called the American Closet. “We’re going in there. Let’s get ye some shoes that fit and something to wear. Yer staying 7 full days?”

“Yes.” Marianne stood and wiggled her foot. “I’ll leave on the 8th morning from today.”

“Then I want ye to pick out 7 outfits so ye can wear something new every day. My treat.” Bog began walking, not making an effort to look like he needed the cane. There were few people on the street at the moment. “Something to sleep in, uhh.. Whatever else ye need.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Human clothes were not that much different from fairy clothes. Marianne wandered around inside the store, walking past dresses and outfits. She used to wear a lot of dresses and she liked them, but ever since that awful day, she only wore a tunic and leggings. 

Marianne’s defiance in concerns to the dresses was fending off fairy men. They didn’t like the way she looked, fine, she would shun dresses and make no effort to look pretty. It wasn’t worth it. She stopped as a dark blue dress caught her attention. It was so dark, it was almost black, but it had this beautiful pearly sheen and lace, so much lace. She couldn’t resist running her fingers over it.

Then she pulled the dress out to see it better and bit her lower lip in thought. Tiny black sequins decorated the dress, shining like stars when the light hit them.

“You would look lovely in that one,” stated a female voice behind her. Marianne let the dress go, blushing. She turned to face a cheerful face with a head full of reddish blonde curls. “Really, what’s your size? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Miss Julie, this is my boutique and Mr. King said you might need assistance.”

“I don’t know my size. This is my first time in a shop like this.” Marianne chose her words carefully. She normally let her sister choose her clothes when it came to fashion, back when she wore dresses.

“Come with me. We’ll get your measurements and see what we can find. Mr. King said you need 7 outfits minimum, and shoes.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog sat on a padded bench in the front of the boutique. Every now and then, he caught a glimpse of Marianne walking by with the shop’s owner and he smiled. Never in his life had he bought gifts for a woman, other than his mother and it felt good. One week of being pain free was worth treating this fairy woman like a princess, he was so grateful. 

Thinking about it, he would have loved being able to treat any woman like this, showing them how much they meant to him. He never even had a chance in that department. The one time he put himself out there and asked a girl out, she tore into him savagely. Bog never tried again, it was so painful and hurt to this day.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t have any possibility of a relationship with Marianne, he wanted her to know he was thankful for what she did for him, even if it was only a week. He would enjoy this week and be a good host.

-=-=-=-=- 

Marianne joined Bog two hours later in a short-sleeved, dark purple blouse, decorated with shimmering gold butterflies, jeans, and a pair of leather ankle boots. He stared at the boots first, never having had the thought that boots could be cute until he saw them on Marianne. They were spliced leather with strips of dyed purple and blue leather stitched into them.

“What do you think?” Marianne asked, turning to show Bog the outfit, stamping her feet. Bog stared at her dumbly, not even hearing her question.

“I think he likes it,” Miss Julie whispered in passing, causing Marianne to giggle and blush. “Mr. King. Do you want us to deliver everything to your home? We can have it to you this afternoon.”

“That would be great.” Bog nodded, rising to his feet, forgetting to use the cane.

“Oh, you’re getting around better.” Miss Julie grinned at him cheerfully.

“A little. Comes and goes.” Bog smiled. 

-=-=-=-=-

Bog dismissed Sunny to meet them for lunch in another hour, then he walked down main street with Marianne, answering her questions. She had a lot of questions as they ventured inside several of the small shops. Her fascination and enthusiasm kept a constant smile on his face. 

Marianne wasn’t annoying at all, he loved answering her questions and explaining things. She thought the bookstore was a library, explaining that fairies valued education, but they didn’t have the ability to produce so many books. 

Bog chuckled when Marianne expressed her dismay that most of the books on fairies were in the children’s section. Music on disks was fascinating to her and he promised to show her his collection. Explaining movies was fun, magic books that showed you the story. He planned to show her his favorite movies over the week. There was so much to show her.

Then, Bog was reminded why he hated coming into town. They left the bookstore and were walking to the cafe for lunch. There were more people out and he caught whispering going on around him. People were looking at him and Marianne. Knowing they were looking, he walked with more of a crouch, wishing they would just leave him alone and ignore him.

“Someone should warn her.” A woman whispered loudly, purposely trying to get Marianne to hear her. Bog cringed, glancing at Marianne. She was walking tall, looking straight ahead.

“Awful man. He deserved what happened to him.” Someone else whispered. Bog scowled, glad the cafe was close, but now filled with dread about what might happen in the cafe. He would make sure they sat in the back, as much out of sight as possible. 

“That poor woman.”

“He never paid for what he did.”

“What comes around, goes around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marianne and the car makes me giggle every time I read it. When I wrote the little Metamorphosis story with Bog riding in a car, I thought HE reacted badly, but that was obviously nothing compared to Marianne.
> 
> Enjoy! I do love comments!
> 
> BTW, I hate to say it.... but I do have another story brewing where Marianne is the one dragging a reluctant Bog with her on an adventure, where she's the one treating him to expensive, fun things. I consider it fair for a woman with the means to treat a man to nice things. >:D
> 
> I want to post the next chapter so bad, but holding off until next Saturday.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do not mess with Marianne.

Marianne heard every word and observed how every time someone said something, Bog sunk further into himself, his head lowering and eyes set on the sidewalk. What did all the whispering mean? Why were so many people giving Bog such dirty, vindictive looks?

She reached out and placed her hand on Bog’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. It didn’t matter that she didn’t really know him, what they were saying was clearly hurting him. Marianne only had her observations of him when he was alone, so alone. He always looked that way, even before the accident. She would ask him when they returned to his house what the whispering was about. 

“Ignore them,” grumbled Bog. “I was judged in the court of public opinion with rumors as witnesses. I gave up trying to say anything in my defense decades ago.”

They reached the cafe, and Sunny was waiting with a smile to open the door for them. Marianne had a lot to think about. More whispering had gone on, and it began to make her angry. 

Bog made sure they took a table in the back and slid into the far corner of the booth, keeping his head down and focusing on the menu. Marianne sat beside him, and Sunny picked up the menu across from them.

“What should I order?” Marianne glanced over the choices. 

“Catfish!” Sunny grinned, jabbing a finger at the dish on his own menu. “I love catfish, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. They have the best cornbread here too!”

“That’s a good choice,” whispered Bog, leaning over his menu, his head down. “I’m having the prime rib and a baked potato.”

“Would I like that?” Marianne leaned toward Bog, whispering into his ear. “I want to try something new.”

“The red meat might be a bit much for ye.” Bog smiled, closing his eyes. “I’ll give you some of mine if you want the same thing Sunny’s having.”

“Okay.” Marianne leaned back and grinned at the menu. “What about dessert?”

“Pecan pie!” Sunny suggested enthusiastically.

“We’ll have Pecan Pie, Cheesecake, and bread pudding,” chuckled Bog, beginning to loosen up again.

-=-=-=-

Lunch was amazing. Marianne liked everything, but her favorite food was cornbread, covered in honey and butter. Next was the sweet tea. She wasn’t able to finish everything, and neither was Bog. Sunny cleaned his plate.

The leftovers were boxed up to go, and Bog ordered a pan of cornbread to take home for dinner. Marianne’s excitement was impossible to contain. She was full, but she still wanted to stuff another square of the delicious bread into her mouth.

Everything was okay until they left the cafe. Sunny took the leftovers to the car, intending to meet them at the grocery store, which was a short five-minute walk away. 

Bog wanted to walk. His legs craved the movement, and it felt good to move under his own power. He pretended to use the cane but didn’t put too much into it. Marianne walked beside him, studying the people and stores they passed.

“What are you doing freely roaming the streets?” Marianne looked up to see several men standing nearby, in front of a shop with several cars parked in front of it. One of them strode toward Bog, who was ignoring him and continuing to walk down the sidewalk. “Lady, who are you? Are you his nurse?”

Bog cringed, as Marianne answered, “I’m his friend.”

“Seriously, why?” The man scowled, folding his arms over his chest. “Do you know what Bog here did?”

“No, and I don’t want to hear it from you.” Marianne scowled, moving defensively past Bog and walking up to the man. He blinked at her, surprised that such a small woman was approaching him so aggressively.

“Marianne, it’s not worth it. I will tell ye when we get home,” sighed Bog. “Leave her alone, Sam.”

“You’re living with -that-?” Sam snarled, jabbing a finger in Bog’s direction. Bog sagged, lowering his head, tapping his cane on the sidewalk.

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Marianne snapped, poking the man in the chest. He was a foot taller than her and built like a brick, but something about Marianne made him step back.

“He really has you fooled.” Sam shook his head. “When he was a teenager, Bog got into fights all the time. He punched a girl in the head and put her in a coma. She’s still in a coma. Bog King is a monster, and you would do best to get away from him. He got what he deserved.”

Marianne looked back at Bog, who stood silently, his eyes set on the ground. 

“It was an accident.” Bog whispered after a moment, turning to walk away. “Ye were there, ye liar.” He turned his head to glare at Sam, attempting to draw his attention away from Marianne. “Liar.”

“I don’t care if you are an invalid, I am not a liar!” Sam turned and headed toward Bog, but he didn’t get far. 

There was a sickening snapping sound as Marianne struck. One hand went out to grab Sam’s wrist, the other whipped out, her palm open as she hit his elbow. Bog stared in awe, along with everyone else who stopped to watch what was going on. The man’s arm bent in an unnatural angle, and he screamed.

Marianne let him go with a snarl, whirling around to kick his legs out from under him. Sam crashed to the ground, writhing and whimpering in pain. 

“Anyone else want to try to harm Bog King?” She asked, taking up a fighting stance, her hands lifted in fists. Sam’s friends stared, and nobody moved. “I thought not.” Marianne dropped her arms and strode toward Bog, fire lighting up her eyes.

“Wow.” Bog stared at her, wide-eyed. “How did ye do that?”

“I train with the best.” Marianne smiled, wrapping her arm around Bog’s.

-=-=-=-=-

Bog marveled at Marianne. She was a literal superhero in his book. This incredible woman went from effortlessly taking down a man much bigger than she was to bouncing up and down the aisles in the grocery store with the excitement of a child. They were in an upscale store, which carried hundreds of varieties of everything. Marianne’s eyes gleamed as she studied what was on the shelves, and she asked questions that Bog was more than happy to answer. 

Every aisle clearly fascinated Marianne, and they filled the cart with everything Bog had on his list, then anything she wanted to try. Fairies obviously didn’t have any kind of dairy, so butter, milk, and a variety of cheeses were put in the cart. Bog did worry if Fairies could tolerate it, but Marianne had food with cheese, butter, and milk in them twice today. Maybe they had tough stomachs?

Before his accident, he enjoyed making gourmet meals for his mother; after, he ate corned beef hash out of a can on more than one occasion. He spent more than he usually would have to cover every kind of food he liked making and thought Marianne would enjoy. 

Word traveled fast. By the time Bog and Marianne left the grocery store and filled the car with groceries, people were no longer whispering. They also weren’t looking at Bog, they wanted to see Marianne. The looks of disgust on people’s faces toward Bog were replaced with awe at Marianne.

Bog was grateful not to hear the whispering anymore, but he still wanted to get home as fast as possible. Gazing at Marianne, he found her so amazing, confident, bold, and strong. He couldn’t help but wish she was his, but that was an impossible dream. At least he could enjoy her company for this week.

-=-=-=-=-

Sunny stopped at Bog’s house first and helped them unload the groceries. Marianne did better in the car on the way back but refused to get back into it. She remained in the house, playing with Brutus when Bog left.

“Where did you find her, Bog?” Sunny glanced at Bog, who sat in the front seat next to him.

“She’s a fairy that came out of my fairy garden,” chuckled Bog. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“You’ve been drinking too much.” Sunny rolled his eyes.

“I haven’t had a drink since last night, Sunny.” Bog smirked. “She’s honestly a fairy.”

Sunny stared at him and almost drove the car into a ditch. “Where are her wings?”

“She only has them when she’s tiny.” Bog held up his hand, showing how tall Marianne was as a fairy. “Sunny, she temporarily healed me. How else do you think I rode my motorcycle to your house? I’ll show ye how well I can walk when we get to yer house. I’m not in pain anymore.”

“Oh, wow.” Sunny glanced at Bog. “Fairies are real? They live in your garden? Can I see them?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Bog. “But this is only for a week, and that’s why I want you coming to my house to help me. Knowing they’re there, I want to make sure they’re well taken care of, and you know how hard it is for me to move around.”

“Yeah,” sighed Sunny. “I know. I kept offering to come over for free and help you out.”

“Well, now I’m going to pay ye. I want the fairies well taken care of.” Bog looked out the window at the trees that were being cleared across the road.

“What about you?” Sunny inquired. “Don’t you need help?”

“I only care about the fairies,” grunted Bog. “And the animals. Nothing can help me, and ye know it. I’m going to be in pain again when she leaves, but knowing they’re taken care of will make my life worth living.”

“That’s really sad,” sighed Sunny.

“I don’t need or want anyone’s pity,” grumbled Bog. “I deserved what happened to me.”

Sunny frowned, turning to Bog as they pulled up into his driveway. “Bog, nobody deserves what happened to you. Mom goes on and on about how bullied you were until you began fighting back. You didn’t have a choice.”

“If I never fought back, Lily wouldn’t be in a coma.” Bog scowled, opening the door and getting out without a problem. “Tomorrow morning at 9, Sunny. I need ya until after lunch.” Sunny watched in amazement as he walked to his motorcycle, grabbed his helmet, and put it on. Without any sign of pain, Bog swung his leg over the seat and turned the ignition. He left his cane behind in the car.

-=-=-=-=-

Bog returned to his home, leaving his motorcycle parked in front of the porch. He waited a few minutes, preparing for the conversation he would have with Marianne. Unlike the townspeople, Marianne didn’t have any preconceived notions about him. He could tell her the truth, and she would listen. She wouldn’t think he was just trying to get out of trouble.

With a sigh, Bog headed inside.

\--=-=-=-=-

“First, I want to apologize to ye for what all went on in town,” stated Bog, sitting down at the kitchen table across from Marianne. She had a half-eaten slice of pecan pie in front of her.

“Why? That wasn’t your fault,” She stated, licking the fork in her hand. 

Bog hesitated, watching her. Marianne was completely oblivious to what she was doing, swirling the fork into the pecan pie filling and licking it off, then licking her lips.

“When I was a kid, I got picked on a lot, because I’ve always been skinny and well, smarter than most.” Bog began, tapping his fingers on the table. “My father taught me how to fight against my mom’s wishes. I never started fights, and there were fewer of them, but on occasion, I still got into fights, and I won them all. Winning fights just makes ye a target for people who want to prove they’re better than ye, but I refused to lose. So I was known as the quiet kid who got into fights.”

Marianne nodded with a frown, setting her fork down.

“I graduated high school at the top of my class, had a fully paid scholarship to a good school, and a life planned out that included a fresh start.” Bog took a deep breath. “The day after graduation, I attended a party I was invited to. It was a stupid decision, and I should have known something was off about it. The party was a trap to send me off with a beating I would never forget because I was never one of them. Unfortunately, they had been drinking, and I wasn’t.”

Bog closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “A dozen huge guys, the one ye took out earlier and his friends, ganged up on me. I fought them, and I lost sense of what was going on because I thought they were trying to kill me. At some point, some of the other people at the party tried to help me. I couldn’t see them, because I had been hit in the head several times and had blood in my eyes. I punched several of them by accident, but Lily was the one who got the worst of it. I only hit her once.”

He sighed, running his hands through his hair, clasping them behind his neck. “I didn’t have any friends among them, but if it wasn’t for the other witnesses, I would probably be sitting in jail. It didn’t matter to anyone that there were two people in the ambulance. I was the troublemaker. The guys who attacked me claimed they did it after I struck Lily, and I hit her for no reason. More people stood up for me, telling the truth.”

“They beat me, and I was in the hospital for several weeks, unaware of what was going on outside. My mom kept it from me.” Bog spread his hands on the table in front of Marianne, showing off how they spread unnaturally and were covered in scars. “I messed up my hands so bad, it took five years of surgery and physical therapy to be able to use them normally. I lost my education, my new life, and I ended up stuck here. Worse, I had a stigma as a violent person, and I’m not. Half the town believes I punched Lily on purpose, probably one of the nicest girls in my class. We were never friends, but it wasn’t because she didn’t try. A lot of my classmates were nicer to me than I could accept, and I was not friends with any of them, but those people stood up for me. I don’t like running into those people even more than the people who bullied me, because I don’t know what to say to them.”

Bog swallowed, keeping his head down as a tremor ran through his body. He withdrew his hands and took a deep breath. “Excuse me.” Bog snorted and lifted his arm over his face, wiping his eyes quickly.

“That’s awful.” Bog wasn’t sure when she got up, but Marianne’s arms slid around his neck, and she leaned her head against his, whispering. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Bog took a few shallow breaths, attempting to calm his emotions. “If I had just let myself be bullied, it would never have happened.”

“That is the absolute stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Marianne stated, moving to his other ear, sliding her hands further down his chest. “This is why you think you deserve to be in pain?”

“Yes.” Bog nodded.

Marianne scowled, clasping her hands around his neck, squeezing him tightly. “Bog, what if I can fix it?”

“What do ye mean? Ye can’t fix what happened.” Bog lifted his head.

“Lily’s still in a coma? Where is she? If I can wake her up, she can tell everyone what happened.” Marianne suggested. “I think I can do that.”

“I don’t know if it’s that easy.” Bog tilted his head to look at her. “She might be a vegetable.”

“People aren’t vegetables.” Marianne wrinkled her nose at Bog.

“It’s a figure of speech. It means she might not be in there.” Bog explained.

“Figure out a way we can try,” stated Marianne. “If anything, wouldn’t you want to see awake?”

Bog thought about it. It wouldn’t fix what happened, and he still blamed himself. “Yes. I would.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so happy when Marianne up and did that. :D Gives you an idea of her strength and skill.
> 
> I cried while writing Bog stating why he avoids people, even the people who helped him, because it's such a statement about what kind of person he is. Even though I've read over the passage multiple times, I'm avoiding it this morning, because it's just so sad.
> 
> And of course, Marianne has to question Bog's worldview with a sledgehammer which is probably what he needs more than someone agreeing with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog and Marianne are dealing with their strange feelings toward each other, spending the day doing rather dull and mundane things, like cleaning house, and dancing.

Marianne helped Bog clean his home, even though he tried to make her stop, his face red in embarrassment that it was cluttered in the first place. He mentioned his mother came over once a week, and she would arrive the day after tomorrow. Bog wanted to surprise her with a house she didn’t have to clean and meals like he used to cook.

He talked, and Marianne listened, asking questions on occasion. The human world was fascinating, with so much variety in it. As a princess, Marianne had anything she could want provided for her, a closet full of clothes, even though she favored one outfit, and food prepared for her at every meal. She had no idea how to cook or sew, her time spent in other pursuits befitting her royal station. 

Marianne hadn’t brought up the reason she was here to Bog, and he hadn’t asked. Maybe she would bring it up in the future, perhaps not. After the story he told, healing Lily wouldn’t be a good enough gift for Bog. She needed to think of something bigger, something that would impact him directly. 

Healing Bog’s body permanently would be the best thing, but Marianne wasn’t sure she could do it. She could try. Trying wouldn’t harm anything, and it would also give her an excuse to touch him, something else she was sure he needed. The fact that she liked Bog, to begin with, was part of the reason she wanted to come to the human world. She also wanted an adventure, an escape from her life, and her obnoxious ex who could not take no for an answer. 

In the human world, Marianne was just another woman, not a princess, and she liked it. There wasn’t a Roland waiting around every corner to ambush her, trying to manipulate her into returning to him. She hated it when he did that. It made her more nervous and more paranoid than usual, and she needed a break. And that break, brought her to Bog.

Marianne sat on the couch, looking at the small living room they had just cleared of empty bottles, glasses, and books. She took a deep breath, wrinkling her nose at the fresh smell. Before, it held a manly scent because Bog was in here all the time, but now it smelled fresh and lemony. She kind of preferred his smell. 

She flexed her fingers, studying her hands, remembering how Bog’s hands looked. The need to comfort him was strong, and pushing her in ways she hadn’t expected. Marianne tended to be a sympathetic person, unless she was angry or offended. That was to be expected. But being around Bog was stirring something else she wasn’t prepared for. She genuinely liked the human, which was funny, because she had sworn to her father she hated men and dating so much, she would only give one another chance if she met one she didn’t want to punch in the face. And here she was, staying with a human male who she definitely did not want to punch. She wanted to touch him in other ways.

Those things she once enjoyed with Roland, were the very things she wanted to do to Bog because she felt like they would be completely different. He was such an incredibly humble man, giving, and what she saw seemed to be who he was. There wasn’t any hiding behind fake bravado or sweet flattering words with no truth behind them. Father would be incredibly mad; however, he was the one that told her to find a man, any man. Obviously, he meant a fairy male and not a human, but it would certainly serve him right if she brought Bog home with her.

Marianne entertained the thought, listening to Bog in the front of the house, carrying boxes of clothing to his mother’s room. The clothing store’s delivery man arrived a few minutes ago. Sadly, Bog wouldn’t fit into their kingdom. Everyone would see him as a human because she was sure that humans didn’t get wings when they crossed from one world to another. Her father would object because his human blood would weaken their bloodline. They might lose the power to heal and their superior speed and strength in future generations, if she did what she was thinking about.

Worrying her lower lip, Marianne sighed and closed her eyes. This wasn’t real. She was just reacting to her current situation and couldn’t trust her feelings. Yes, she observed Bog for years, but that was one way. They did not have any sort of real relationship, no matter how much she thought she knew about him. She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. If she wanted to, she could remain in the human world as long as she wanted. Her father would be furious, and her sister would miss her, but she didn’t have to stay in her Kingdom all the time.

“I didn’t open any of the boxes or bags.” Bog smiled, entering the living room. “Like ye asked. I’m going to start on dinner.” Then he was gone.

Marianne smiled, watching him go. A man without wings gave you a good look at his backside, and she liked it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t frighten him later when she asked him to take off his shirt. The scars didn’t bother her in the way he thought they did. They made her wince because they told a story that he survived an awful accident. She wouldn’t ask what happened, not after he told her about Lily. Making a man say something that hurt so deep was not what she wanted to do. She was here to improve his life, not dredge up any more bad memories.

-=-=-=-=-

They were eating dinner when someone knocked on the door. With a sigh, Box excused himself from the conversation they were having about the fairy kingdom and what they ate, grabbed his crutch, and warned Marianne to stay in the kitchen. He walked through the house and didn’t lean on the crutch until he checked who was at the door through a side window. He groaned, then opened the door to a police officer he knew from high school.

“Good evening, Frank,” Bog sighed, leaning on the crutch.

“Evening, Bog.” The stockily built officer touched the edge of his hate and nodded politely. “You know why I’m here.”

“Are ye going to arrest her?” Bog glanced back into the house. If he needed to, he could buy Marianne enough time to grab Brutus and hopefully escape.

“No, this is a courtesy visit,” groaned Frank. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to. We already took down the witness reports, and if your guest wants to press charges for assault, she’s free to do it.”

Bog smirked. “Rare to hear something go that direction..”

“Everyone, even Sam’s posse, stated Sam threatened you, and this little tiny woman broke his elbow in five seconds.” Frank shook his head, smiling slightly in disbelief. “Where did you find a woman like that?”

“In my backyard,” chuckled Bog. “Marianne, can ye come out here? Someone wants to meet ye.”

“Is she your nurse, physical therapist, family friend?” Frank eyed Bog. “Single?”

“I don’t think she would be interested.” Bog shook his head and stood aside as Marianne joined him, a half-eaten piece of cornbread in her hand. Frank blinked, looking her up and down.

“Uh, hi?” Marianne stared at the officer.

“Ma’am.” Frank tipped his hat again. “You’re not in any trouble, just a courtesy visit to tell you to try to avoid causing any more scenes, Young Lady.”

“Oh? This is about that ass in town?” Marianne smiled mischievously, taking another bite of her cornbread. “He threatened Bog.”

“I heard,” chuckled Franks, glancing from Marianne to Bog and back again. “Where are you from? I can’t place your accent, just that you’re not from around here.”

“Oh, I’m not from too far away.” Marianne smiled up at Bog. “You should tell that idiot that it’s not nice to bully people.”

“Sam has spent his fair share of time in prison, Ma’am.” Frank hooked his fingers into his belt, shaking his head in disbelief. “Out of curiosity, what kind of work do you do that has you trained to knock a man that size down to his knees?”

Marianne’s smile spread across her face, eyes squinting. “It’s a secret, but let’s just say I’ve been trained to right wrongs and keep people in line.” Both Bog and Frank stared at her in wide-eyed silence, not sure what to make of the statement.

“Well, Ma’am, have a good evening and enjoy your stay. How long are you staying?” Franks stared at Bog now, incredulously.

“A week. It was nice meeting you, Guard.” Marianne dipped her head in acknowledgment and turned to walk away, leaving the two men looking confused.

“Guard?” Frank made a face at Bog.

“I have no idea. She has a tendency to phrase things in an odd way,” Bog stated quickly. “Is that all?”

“It is. Wow, I need to find me one of those. Good luck.” Frank shook his head and turned.

“Thanks, I need it,” groaned Bog closing the door.

-=-=-=-=- 

“Guard?” Bog sat down at the table and took a bite of his leftover prime rib. “Ye don’t have police officers in yer kingdom?”

“We call them guards,” muttered Marianne, realizing she slipped up. She reached for another piece of cornbread. “I love this stuff. I wonder if we can figure out how to make it at home.”

“Well, ye need milk to make it and corn.” Bog began going over the recipe as he remembered it. “Flour, eggs, and some way to measure it out for yer size.” He sighed at Marianne, realizing how hard all of that might be for fairies. “Or, I can just make it and leave it out just for ye, Princess.” He smiled as Marianne’s face turned deep red, and she looked startled.

“Don’t call me Princess,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Bog blinked at the way she spoke. It was a clear reprimand as though he insulted her again. “It’s not meant as an insult.”

“Just don’t,” Marianne grumbled, unable to look him in the eye.

“I didn’t mean any offense.” Bog poked at the rest of his dinner, no longer having the desire to eat. “When we’re done, I’ll put on some music for ye.”

“I’d like that.” With the change in conversation, Marianne sighed and looked up again, forcing a smile. “Do you dance?”

“I’ve never danced with anyone but my Mom,” replied Bog, getting up to scrape the rest of his meat into Brutus’ food bowl. “So don’t expect much.’

“I taught my sister how to dance.” Marianne smiled, thinking about her darling little sister and teaching her to dance before she could fly. “Fairies hold a lot of dances, and they are annoying when you have to attend every one.”

“Ye have a sister?” Bog returned to the table with a glass of water. “Is she like ye?”

“No.” Marianne grimaced. “She’s a boy crazy teenager and has way too much energy.”

“Have I seen her?” Bog inquired curiously.

“Being roy-” Marianne made a face, stopping before she said it. “My sister and I have unique wing colors. Her name is Dawn, because her wings seriously look like a sunrise. She has short blond hair and blue eyes. You’ve seen her. She was watching when I spoke to you. I had to keep her out of that beer mixture you put in the dishes.”

Bog laughed so hard, the table shook. “I’m sorry, just the thought of a bunch of fairies getting drunk in my fairy garden is funny. Should I stop putting that out?”

“No, it’s okay,” chuckled Marianne finishing off the last bit of cornbread on her plate. “The displaced fairies need all the sugar, and the alcohol effects don’t last long.”

“Is there anything I can do to help those fairies?” Bog dug into his pie, glad the brief uncomfortable moment was past.

“We’ll discuss that another day.” Marianne smiled. “Let’s dance.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog raided his mother’s music collection of vinyl records and his own CDs. Between the two of them, they had a wide selection of music. He started with classical records and an assortment of older music, working his way up to rock, a little bit of pop, that he told Marianne belonged to his mother, and then a little heavy metal and back to rock. Cases and sleeves were strewn around the living room, and Bog moved several of the chairs out of the way for him and Marianne to dance.

Dancing was definitely not something Bog was good at, but he danced with Marianne as well as he could for several hours. He even pulled out his laptop to show her how humans danced to the music they were listening to. The internet was a wonderful thing. The evening was exhausting but fun.

Bog tried out numerous new dances and began breathing hard faster than Marianne. After so long in the chair, his stamina wasn’t good, and his muscles complained. He took frequent breaks to catch his breath and watch his fairy guest dance for him, and she danced beautifully. He could have watched her all night, but eventually, he had to admit it was time to go to bed.

Today had been a long day, and Bog had a lot planned for tomorrow. With a content sigh, Bog rose and smiled at Marianne. “It’s late, I need to go to bed.”

“Okay.” She smiled, closing her eyes and swaying to the music as Bog turned it down.

“Ye can listen to it longer if ye want. I showed ye how to work it.” Bog motioned to the player.

“Wait, before you go to bed, I wanted to work on your back and see if I can do more,” Marianne stated, picking one of the vinyl records up she thought would set a calm, comforting mood.

“Uh,” Bog mumbled, looking around the well-lit room. It was one thing for her to see him in a dark room, another in full light. “I’ll turn off a few lights.” Marianne switched the records, putting on soft classical music, then she grabbed a pillow off one of the couches. Bog turned off the lights, leaving only one lamp on in a far corner.

“Go ahead and take off your shirt.” Marianne kneeled, placing the pillow in the middle of the floor.

Bog took a deep breath, closing his eyes, wrestling with the request. She only wanted to help, and he should think of her as a physical therapist and not a woman he was attracted to. It was infatuation. A woman dropped out of nowhere, into his life, and treated him like a real human person. How could he not find her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen?

“Please, don’t say anything about them,” grumbled Bog, gripping the bottom of his shirt and tugging it off quickly. He tossed it onto the couch and didn’t look at Marianne, laying down where she directed. His knees complained, cracking and popping. “This happens when ye get old.” Bog winced, making himself comfortable on his stomach.

“How old are you?” Marianne got up to straddle Bog, right over his hips. He bit his lower lip, recalling the reason he didn’t get massages. The one time he did, it resulted in an embarrassing situation for him, even though he was told it was normal. It didn’t matter that the arousal was normal because he was too embarrassed it happened once. 

“38.” Bog stated, keeping his eyes closed.

‘That’s not that old.” Marianne’s fingers landed on his shoulders, and she stroked them down in a straight line on either side of his spine. She glowed faintly, concentrating on what she felt in his back. The first time she did this had been quick because she didn’t know what she was dealing with. This time, she wanted to take her time.

Bog sighed, shivering at the sensation, then he turned and faced into the pillow, biting into the fabric to stifle the moans attempting to escape. He didn’t want to disturb Marianne with just how good her touch felt. 

Marianne worked over Bog’s entire back, slowly dragging her fingers over him from his shoulders to the top of his pants. She wasn’t comfortable asking him to remove all his clothes, and the damaged area of his spin was above them. From his left side, deep ridged scars, twice the width of her hand wrapped around his back and up to his right side, ending at the base of his ribs. 

The problem with Bog’s nerves was extreme, but she worked at it, running her fingers in a last pass straight down Bog’s back. He shivered beneath her, then his entire body went rigid at one point, her fingers dragging across the curve of his lower back. 

Bog wasn’t able to stop the low guttural moan. Marianne giggled, pushing her fingers into his back, concentrating on a twisted grouping of nerves.

“I’m sorry,” Bog groaned. “I swear, I’m not enjoying it that much! Just sensitive there.” His face turned bright red.

“It’s okay, Bog.” She continued working on his back, having decided to put everything into fixing as much as she could, starting with what she knew she could heal. There was so much damage, she wasn’t sure how effective she would be, but she was more than willing to try. Her father could possibly do more for Bog, but dragging him back to the Fairy Kingdom, when she knew her father didn’t want her out here, to begin with, was not desirable.

Marianne worked for a few minutes, then decided to move to a different area. She got up and stood next to Bog. “Can you get up and lay on your back. I can help you with your knees. Probably easier than your back.”

“Wait a moment,” sighed Bog, reluctant to get up. He pushed himself up onto his knees and stared at the floor, filling his head with as much uninteresting imagery as possible, which he had been doing for the last ten minutes. 

“Bog.” Marianne tapped her foot impatiently. He made a face and turned, grabbing the pillow and sliding it under his head to lay back down. “Seriously.” She shook her head, focused on Bog’s knees. Kneeling again, she placed both hands on his left knee while he watched curiously, folding his arms beneath his head. “Bend your knee.”

Bog did as she said, raising his eyes to stare at the ceiling, counting the beams, thankful this wasn’t nearly as stimulating. “Careful where yer sitting and putting your hands,” he sighed, eyeing her as she turned her back to him, crouching.

“Uh, yeah.” Marianne giggled, her face flushing crimson, realizing she almost sat across his hips. “Sorry about that.” She moved to Bog’s side, running her hands over his knee, pressing her fingers in firmly. The fabric was in her way, but it wasn’t the same as working on his back. “You have some serious arthritis in your knees.”

“Old,” grumbled Bog, closing his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the warmth flooding through his knee and an immediate sense of relief. His knees had been a pain to him for years. “And too tall.”

“I already told you, you’re not old, and you are definitely not too tall.” Marianne got up and moved to the other knee.

“How old are ye? How long do fairies live?” Bog couldn’t hold back his curiosity, bending the other knee. He bit his lip, realizing he just asked one of those questions you do not ask women.

“22, and we can live to be a couple hundred years old,” replied Marianne, running her hands over his knee, then down his leg. 

Bog stared at her, unsure of what she was doing. She looked down at his leg as though considering something, then dragged her hand back up his leg and up to his thigh, stopping just below his hip. 

“Marianne. I’m not, uh, not hurting anywhere near there.” Bog moved to sit up, still staring at her as she withdrew her hand.

“Sorry I wasn’t thinking.” She placed her arms in her lap and looked at him, biting her lower lip. “What do you think of me?”

“I’ve only known you for a day,” chuckled Bog, standing, then squatting. There were no pops or cracks. His knees felt incredible. “I’ve always had problems with my knees.” He stood and stared at Marianne, who still sat on the floor. In his current mood, he knew he needed to leave the room. She was his guest, nothing more. To treat her otherwise would insult her.

But she looked sad. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Marianne forced a smile and rose to her feet. “Good night, Bog. I’m going to listen to music a little longer if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t at all.” He smiled and stood there a moment longer, then forced himself to turn and leave. “I’ll see ye in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bog has friends and people who look out for him/kinda keep an eye out to make things easier for him without letting on they do this to avoid offending him. ;) There are good people all around him that he never really sees, since he's kinda absorbed in his own situation.
> 
> Also, tall people and their aches and pains. :D Yes. So much. I'm married to a tall guy. :D Knee problems from day one.
> 
> I guess I should finish the next chapter so I have an update for next Saturday. ;)


	7. Chapter7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new days arrives, day 2 of Bog having a lovely fairy guest. Today, we plot how to get Marianne in to see Lily.

Marianne sighed when Bog left, settling onto one of the comfortable couches to listen to the record play. It took everything she had not to walk up to him and put her hands on his body, tracing the scars and more natural lines, bringing a smile to his face. That’s what she wanted, she wanted to make him smile. The problem with that was she was entertaining quite a bit more than touching.

With another sigh, she pushed those thoughts away. Marianne was attracted to Bog, but it meant nothing, and she needed to ignore it. Her emotions were muddled, and she was confusing compassion for attraction. She came here to get away from Roland, the man who taught her everything that was wrong with love. Traveling down that path again was not her goal and never would be.

If she listened to her emotions, she would end up hurting Bog, and she could not be that person, especially not to this man. He had a hard enough life without her leading him on, even unintentionally. Marianne sat, listening to the music, closing her eyes with a smile on her face. Records and CDs were amazing.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

“I think you’re a beautiful, amazing woman,” Bog stated, sliding a stack of french toast covered in syrup in front of Marianne. “Ye asked me what I thought of ye.”

“Thank you, Bog.” Marianne smiled at him, picking up a fork. “What is this food?”

“French toast. It’s bread dipped in eggs, fried, dusted with powdered sugar, covered in maple syrup, topped with a little butter.” Bog explained, bringing her a glass of chocolate milk. “And this is chocolate milk.” He sat across from her, folding his arms over the table.

“Aren’t you having any?” Marianne cut through the pile of toast, taking a small bite.

“I ate while I was cooking it for ye, just plain french toast, buttered with salt and pepper,” stated Bog. “Sunny’s going to be here soon, and we’re going to do some work in the backyard.”

“You’re a good cook.” Marianne complimented, rolling the sweet mixture around in her face. Then she lifted the glass of chocolate milk and sipped it. She stared at it, licking her lips. Bog chuckled as she tilted the glass and drank deeply, eyes closed. “This is divine.” She sighed, setting the now half-emptied glass on the table. “What is chocolate?”

“Hard to explain, but women seem to really like it.” Bog couldn’t hide his amusement. “It’s a ground-up seed, called cocoa, that doesn’t grow here.”

“I guess I’m like any other woman,” Marianne smirked, picking up the glass and draining it. When she finished, she closed her eyes and licked her lips over a broad smile. “I love this stuff.”

Bog grinned in response and got up, striding to the cupboard to retrieve a bag. He tore off the top, walking around the table to stand beside Marianne, and tipped it to shake out a layer of tiny chocolate chips onto her french toast. She grinned at the addition in delight, before scooping up several with her fork and eating them.

“Not too much, or you’ll overdo it. They’re full of sugar.” Bog took Marianne’s empty glass to refill it. 

“We live on sugar,” chuckled Marianne, mouth full of french toast. “Some of us more than others, although we prefer honey, it’s healthier.”

Bog made a mental note of it, returning with a glass of plain white milk for his guest. “You need to tell me everything fairies like, and I will provide whatever I can.”

“You don’t have to take care of us like that.” Marianne sighed with a smile on her face, fork in her mouth. “We take care of ourselves, Bog, although we do raid your garden frequently since we help it grow and take care of your pests.’

Bog laughed, settling back into his chair, “Ye do? I’m glad I don’t use pesticides then. I thought for sure nothing would grow when I tried to go all-natural out there.”

“What benefits you, benefits us,” Marianne stated, savoring another bite of french toast.

“I’m going to clean out the Fairy Garden today and put out fresh fruit and chocolate chips. Want to help?” 

Marianne froze, looking at Bog uncertainly. “I’ll help you where I can here, but in my state, I shouldn’t go walking into the garden or be where the other fairies can see me. It would be confusing for them to see me like this, that, and we don’t need more fairies figuring out they can use your dog to travel for our world to yours.”

Bog nodded, taking a moment to watch his fairy guest enjoy the breakfast he prepared for her. He had a difficult time taking his eyes off her when she walked into the kitchen in a sleeveless, dark pink tunic with a black lace overlay covering it. The lace had a rose design and covered her shoulders, stopping just past her elbows. It flared out into a see-through skirt over dark purple leggings, and she was barefoot.

He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, over and over and over again. There were so many words he could say to her, but he bit them back, knowing it wouldn’t be appropriate. Just over a day and he knew he was hopelessly in love with this woman, even though it couldn’t be, and he shouldn’t give it any thought. Bog pushed it away repeatedly, those feelings that were now harassing him constantly, the need to tell her how he felt. 

One day. Six more to go and then she would be gone. Bog closed his eyes, thinking it over. It wasn’t enough time, but maybe she would come back again if she felt the same way. Otherwise, he didn’t need to torture himself by putting himself in a position to be hurt. He should enjoy her company for this time and let things go as they would.

“I spoke to Sunny this morning, and we’re working on a plan to get you into the hospital to see Lily with his cousin, Pare.” Bog tapped his fingers on the table. “There are security cameras, so what I was thinking is it would be easiest for you to go inside as a fairy.”

“Can he be trusted?” Marianne lifted her eyes to give Bog a concerned look. “I would rather you carry me in if I’m smaller.”

“I can’t do that.” Bog shook his head. “The cameras would catch me, and only employees are allowed inside during the night shift. I thought about having him leave a window in her room open, but hospitals don’t have windows you can open.”

Marianne took a deep breath, swirling the last bite of french toast into the syrup. “I made you a promise, Bog, so if you trust him, then I will trust him.”

“We’ll do it tonight,” stated Bog, cracking a thin smile. “And it’s okay if you can’t help her.”

“I’ll do my best.” Marianne returned the smile, then finished off the last bite.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Sunny was punctual, arriving ten minutes before he was supposed to, ready to work. He showed up in jeans, a dark red t-shirt featuring an indy rock band, and work boots. His hair was neatly combed back, and his face was freshly shaven, except a small strip of hair on his chin.

“Good morning, Miss Marianne!” Sunny nervously greeted her, walking past Bog into the house. “You look pretty this morning!”

“Thank you, Sunny.” Marianne smiled in return.

“Not that you don’t look pretty all the time, you’re very pretty,” stammered Sunny, wringing his hands. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make it weird.”

“Marianne laughed, her eyes twinkling, “Sunny, relax. I’m like any other person, really, I am.”

“Oh, no, you are not!” Sunny shifted from one foot to another. “You are a fairy princess!”

Marianne made a face and Bog grabbed Sunny’s shoulder, pushing him lightly aside, leaning down to whisper, “Don’t call her princess, she seems to really hate that.”

Sunny’s cheeks flushed red, and he grimaced. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you! It’s just that you’re so pretty, and princesses are pretty, and you have this kind of regal thing all around you! I’m not helping, am I?”

“No, you are not. Shut up, Sunny,” hissed Bog. “Let’s go outside and start cleanup on the yard.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. King, sir!” Sunny shivered, heading for the backdoor with Bog close behind.

“Sorry about that,” sighed Bog, glancing over his shoulder, apologetically at Marianne.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Why did they keep throwing the word princess around? Marianne scowled, cutting a banana into small chunks into a small bowl. She studied the tray in front of her, which held a dozen small, shallow saucers. Did she really look like a princess? 

She popped a slice of banana into her mouth and rolled it around thoughtfully. Dawn, now Dawn, looked like a princess. Marianne just looked like a mess, and she preferred that way. Then she looked at what she was wearing, lace, good grief, she loved dressing up, when it was on her terms. She chose this outfit, and if she wanted to wear some lacey light frilly thing, then she could, but it wouldn’t be in bright colors.

Marianne favored dark colors, blue, purple, green, black, dark pinks and reds over the white to pastel shades or more cheerful colors. They suited her mood, and her father tolerated her choices if it meant she might appear in a dress on occasion to this or that celebration.

The thing was, Marianne didn’t consider herself all that attractive and didn’t enjoy dressing up as much when it became clear it was meant to put on some showy facade to attract a husband. It was even less fun when nobody cared to look her way, except a man who didn’t really love her and wanted the crown that came with her. Following that experience, she wanted to keep all men as far away as possible.

Except for the one she was currently staying with. This one, she liked. A lot.

Marianne picked up a small orange and began peeling it like Bog showed her a short time earlier. He left a paper with instructions for what to do with each of the dishes, which was Marianne’s idea, to prepare the foods to put out this morning. Instead of a slurry and mishmashed fruit, each bowl contained one small amount of food, cut to fairy size for the displaced fairies living in Bog’s garden.

The printer was a fascinating device, and Bog printed out several things to show off what it could do, much to Marianne’s delight. Such a machine would be useful in her kingdom, but there was obviously no way to get it down to fairy size.

Peeling an orange was simple, and it was frustrating that something that took Bog ten seconds took her much longer to figure out. Marianne grumbled, tearing the little orange more than she intended. She glanced around, then popped a few of the segments into her mouth before cutting the rest and putting them in a bowl.

Textures were so different as a human compared to a fairy, and Marianne sampled everything. Bog explained what everything was when he set them out and helped her with the first few. Avocado with a dash of lemon, honey mixed with butter, pineapple, bananas, apples, cheese, and other items were already in the bowls. He had Marianne try everything to determine if fairies would like it, even after she explained fairies would eat just about anything.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Bog opened his shed door and brought out gloves, and a dusty box of bags meant for leaves and outdoor debris. “It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to do this.” He handed a pair of gloves to Sunny. “We need to clear all the dead limbs out of the yard, bag the leaves, and clean up my yard. I want you to clean out the fairy garden first and wash out the bowls.”

“Am I going to see fairies?” Sunny asked excitedly, pocketing the gloves until he needed them.

“No idea,” shrugged Bog. “But for now, let’s get to work.”

Sunny nodded, walking down the path to the fairy garden, knowing the way. He had been over several times before Bog’s accident when Bog attempted to be social, well, more of when his mother forced him to be social and host a barbecue for the neighbors.

The next several hours were spent cleaning up the yard, with Sunny hard at work assisting Bog with various tasks. They didn’t see any fairies up close, just a few tiny butterflies flitting around the garden. However, they did notice a large number of large ‘butterflies’ in the nearby trees, up high in the branches, as though wary and watching.

It wasn’t until Sunny and Bog placed the fruit bowls out that the brightly winged creatures cautiously descended. Then, the two men began making out the humanoid forms attached to the wings. The pair of them sat on the nearby bench to watch them hungrily converge on the offering. 

The air was filled with brightly colored wings and occasional gleaming green armor plating. Sunny smiled, finding the whole scene astonishing. Fairies were real, not just the one in Bog’s house, but all over his garden, and they were beautiful.

Then one of them swooped toward Sunny and Bog, causing both to lean back against the bench. The little fairy flitted in front of them, hesitating for a moment, flaring a set of beautiful golden-pink wings. 

“I think that might be Marianne’s sister, Dawn,” chuckled Bog, relaxing and squinting at the tiny fairy. In response, the fairy twirled and flew toward Bog, nodding her head. “Are ye looking for yer sister? She’s fine.”

“Oh, wow, you are so beautiful.” Sunny leaned against Bog, trying to see Dawn better. The little fairy was gesturing with her arms, running her hands through her short blond hair and making faces.

“I’m going to go up to the house and see if Marianne wants to talk to her.” Bog rose and began walking up the path. Dawn turned her attention to Sunny, fluttering up to him and waving her arms.

-=-=-=-=-=-

“No.” Marianne scowled, helping Bog make sandwiches. “The last thing I want is my sister figuring out how to crossover.” She tossed a bit of lunchmeat to Brutus, who sat next to the counter with his ears perked toward them, eyes pleading for tidbits. “Don’t let her follow you.”

“Okay, what should I tell her?” Bog nodded with a slight smile.

“That I’ll be back home soon enough, and she shouldn’t worry about me. Dad shouldn’t worry either,” replied Marianne, trying to slice a tomato into regular slices on the cutting board. It was squishing everytime she tried.

“Let me show ye how to do that,” chuckled Bog, stepping behind her without thinking about what he was doing. He leaned over to gently take the steak knife she was attempting to use and put a longer serrated kitchen knife in her hand. Marianne smiled as he cupped his hand over hers, grabbed another tomato, and positioned her fingers to hold it in place. He made two cuts into the tomato, then let go to allow her to finish, stepping aside to lean on the counter and watch as she neatly divided it.

“Thank you.” Marianne grinned, grabbing a second tomato and slicing it. Bog picked up the remains of the one she crushed and bit into it.

“Ye don’t cook, do you?” Bog commented.

“I don’t,” admitted Marianne with a grimace. “We have servants who do this kind of thing.”

“Servants?” Bog quirked an eyebrow in thought. “So your family is important, or do all fairy families have servants?” She didn’t answer immediately, and something clicked in Bog. He smiled. “That’s why ye don’t want anyone calling ye princess. You’re a princess? Not a Queen, since ye mentioned your father?” 

Marianne went completely silent, freezing. “Pretend you never figured that out.” She couldn’t look at him, but the red flush over her face was evident. “Please, don’t call me princess. Just treat me like anyone else.”

“I don’t see why ye want to hide that.” Bog shrugged, placing a hand on Marianne’s shoulder. He sighed, “but if ye don’t want me to say it, I won’t, it just explains a lot.”

“Like what?” Marianne turned to give Bog a curious look.

“Ye.” He gestured to all of her, taking a step back. “Ye have this regal bearing that ordinary women don’t have. Marianne, ye walk around like ye can take on the world, and it will fall at yer feet at a single word.” Bog laughed, running a hand through his hair nervously. “I’m sorry.” He glanced away with a frown. “I’m not trying to offend ye or make fun of you, it’s just, it’s ye, and it makes ye…” He hesitated and added in an appreciative tone, “Impressive.”

Marianne smiled slightly at that. “Don’t tell Sunny.”

“I promise.” Bog nodded, smiling back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am undecided about what to do with Dawn at this point. If I bring her in too early, she's going to get in the way. :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn harasses Bog and Sunny, attempting to get answers and the mission to wake Lily commences.

Sunny ate lunch in the garden, watching the fairies empty the small bowls of food. He could see them clearly now and marveled at how beautiful every single one of them was. The fairies in the garden were all adults, but the massive oak trees that bordered the back of Bog’s garden held more brightly colored wings, smaller ones.

It didn’t take Sunny long to realize the adults were taking food up to their children, who they weren’t allowing into the garden. He took a bite of his sandwich, observing them and feeling bad for the fairies. Bog explained why they were there, that these fairies were not the same as the resident fairies, and were likely settling into his garden as home, at least temporarily.

The fairy Bog said was Marianne’s sister stood on the far end of the bench Sunny was sitting on. He tried to ignore her, not wanting to scare her away and unsure about what she wanted. Dawn flew over suddenly, landing on Sunny’s hand. He could barely feel her weight.

“Bog said I’m not supposed to talk to you.” Sunny kept his hand still, taking another bite of his sandwich.

The fairy girl twirled, flaring her wings out to get his attention, then clasped her hands together, smiling at him.

“My name is Sunny.” Sunny smiled back, keeping the hand she stood on still. “Bog said your name is Dawn?”

She nodded in response, fluttering her wings, then she stood and stared up at him, biting her lower lip. Dawn held her hands out in front, then flew at Sunny, making him flinch aside, not sure what she was doing. The fairy gave him a dirty look, her blue eyes narrowing with a look of annoyance, motioning for him to remain still.

Sunny nodded, keeping his eyes on her. Dawn landed on his shoulder, shouting at him, “Our father wants Marianne to come home, right now!” Her tiny voice squeaked at Sunny.

“Marianne told Bog she was staying for a week,” whispered Sunny.

“She needs to know Dad’s furious. He doesn’t know where Marianne is, and I promised I wouldn’t tell, but he’s going to figure it out!” Dawn paced on Sunny’s shoulder, letting her wings drop behind her like a flowing cape. “I need to know what I can tell Dad. Please tell her.”

“I will.” Sunny smiled, able to see the fairy girl in detail now that she was so close. “You are so pretty.” He grinned, a light flush passing over his dark cheeks.

“Thank you,” giggled Dawn, swishing her gown back and forth.

“Are ye talking to Marianne’s sister?” Bog grumbled, sitting down next to Sunny and noticing the fairy on his shoulder. “I told ye not to do that, Sunny.”

“She told me their dad’s mad and wants to know what Marianne wants her to do about him.” Sunny quickly explained. Dawn bounced off his shoulder and angrily fluttered in front of Bog, her hands on her hips.

“Marianne told me to tell ye not to worry about her, she’ll be home when she’s home, and she’s safe.” Bog smiled. “I promise ye, she’s fine. She’s taking care of me for the week, so I’m going to take care of her too. She can leave at any time.”

“I want to see my sister!” Dawn landed on Bog’s shoulder, shouting into his ear.

“She said no.” Bog frowned, trying to lightly brush the fairy off his shoulder. She hopped over his hand, landing back in place.

“Now!” Dawn’s shrill demand made Bog wince.

“Dawn,” Bog sighed, trying to get her off his shoulder gently. “Marianne told me to tell you that she will be back soon enough and not to worry about her.”

“Can I go with you to the house and see Marianne?” Dawn’s request was less demanding this time.

“No, she said you need to stay away from the house,” grumbled Bog. “It’s not safe for ye at yer size. Be patient. Marianne’s only staying a week.”

“Okay,” sighed Dawn. She hovered back a few steps. “But I can’t do anything about Dad, so you need to tell her he might come looking for her, and she’s going to have to tell him herself that she’s fine.”

“I’ll pass on the message, Dawn.” Bog nodded at her, then turned to Sunny, who was finishing off his sandwich. “We have a bit more to do today.”

“Yup!” Sunny grinned, his eyes on the little fairy girl as she bounced off Bog’s shoulder and landed on his. “Marianne’s okay.”

Bog smirked at the fairy on Sunny’s shoulder, then got up to motion to garden, “Let’s finish clearing out the dead limbs and things. I want to clean out the stream bed and frog pond.”

-=-=-=-=- 

By dinner time, Bog and Sunny had piled up over a dozen bags of refuse from his backyard into a pile near his trash cans. Sunny went home with plans to return at midnight to pick Bog and Marianne up for their planned visit to the hospital. The arrangements were made with Sunny’s cousin, that this would only happen if they proved to him Marianne was a real fairy.

“This is so good.” Marianne twirled spaghetti noodles around her fork like Bog demonstrated, then stuffed it into her mouth.

“I thought you would like it,” chuckled Bog, taking a bite of freshly baked sourdough dipped in olive oil. “Tomorrow, I’m roasting chickens for my mom.”

“I could get used to this,” stated Marianne with a shy smile. She glanced at Bog, noticing the smile on his face and the way his beautiful blue eyes were fixed on her. “On occasion.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, winding more spaghetti around her fork. “I don’t want to intrude or assume or…” Marianne trailed off, finding herself smiling at Bog, lost in the dreamy expression on his face.

“Marianne, ye are always welcome in my home,” Bog stated gently. “I don’t need ye to heal me or do anything for me, ye are welcome here.”

“Thank you, but if I’m here, I will keep you healed,” Marianne replied, looking away. She was not the type who would stand by if she could do something about any given problem. At the same time, she understood why he told her that. Bog didn’t want her to think he only thought of her as someone who could ease his pain.

It was one of the many things she observed and liked about Bog. He was a humble man, an honest man, qualities that drew her to him. But he wasn’t a fairy, and she was. At some point, she had to go home and leave him. It would be for the best if she never returned, but the fact Bog’s home was less than ten minutes’ flight from her kingdom meant she would come back. She knew she would.

-=-=-=-=- 

Brutus grumbled, annoyed that his dinner was delayed, and the little red harness he wore on occasion for trips to the vet came out. The corgi snorted, flipping his head to one side as Bog fastened the straps. 

“Sorry, but I know ye get carsick, so I’ll give ye something special when we get home.” Bog ran his hands over Brutus’ head, then offered him a couple of jelly beans. “But ye get jelly beans.” The dog gleefully licked up the candy, chewing them a couple of times, then swallowing. He looked up at ‘dad’ with an eager expression, tongue lolling out of his mouth in hopes of another jelly bean.

“No, don’t want ye getting fat,” chuckled Bog, setting the canister back on the counter. “I don’t want a walking barrel for a pet.”

Brutus snorted, kicking one hind leg out at the indignity. Bog leaned down to clip the leash to his harness, and Brutus whined. As a fairy dog, he was smarter than other dogs, but he was still a dog, and the harness meant going to the vet. However, he had never gone to the vet this late at night.

Bog led him through the house and out the front porch with Marianne following close behind them. Brutus glanced up at the tall fairy woman. He liked her just as much as he liked Bog, that’s why he let her use him, hearing her request to cross from fairy to human for Bog.

Marianne knelt, running her fingers behind his ears, hitting the comforting spots just right. Brutus closed his eyes and sighed, understanding that something was going on tonight and whatever it was, he was involved, but it wasn’t the vet. 

-=-=-=-=- 

“Ugh,” Marianne groaned, sliding into the backseat of Sunny’s car. Bog held Brutus on his lap and leaned over to help Marianne with her seatbelt, knowing how much she hated cars.

“It’s a short trip.” Bog smiled, placing Brutus on Marianne’s lap to distract her.

“I hate these things.” Marianne wrapped her arms around Brutus, who turned and began licking her hand, snuggling up against her.

Bog envied his dog, thinking about just how much he would like to snuggle up to Marianne. Then she leaned against him, tilting her head against his.

“Can you, uhm, put your arm around me? So I’m not all over the place like last time.” Marianne asked quietly, not looking at him.

“Sure.” Bog smiled, slipping his arm around her back and dropping his hand lightly over her waist. He looked away, the smile still on his face at the pleasant warmth of her body against his.

-=-=-=-=- 

The trip to the hospital was much shorter than Marianne wanted. She hated the car, but this time it wasn’t as bad, not when she had Bog’s arm around her. Figuring out her human friend did what she told him to do, made it easy to disguise her desire to have him touch her as merely a request to keep her steady in the annoying vehicle.

She would do it again when they left, but for now, she leaned against Bog as the car came into a stop outside the town’s small hospital. A few minutes later, a tall, heavily built man walked out the door and headed to the car.

“This better not be a joke,” Pare grumbled at his cousin as he rolled the window down. 

“Would I joke with you about something like this?” Sunny laughed, leaning out the window.

“You mean like the time you had that werewolf mask and wore it outside my bedroom window?” Pare scowled at Sunny.

“That was ages ago!” Sunny glanced into the backseat nervously.

“That was last Halloween!” Pare grunted.

“I promise I’m not pulling anything over on you.” Sunny smiled, motioning to the backseat, rolling the window down.

“Hi, I’m Marianne,” she waved politely, sliding toward the window. 

“You’re a little big for a fairy.” Pare peered at her, resting his hands on the door.

“Please, be careful with her,” Bog stated, leaning next to Marianne. “We’re trusting you to get her in and out safely.”

“I’m not fragile,” snorted Marianne, pushing Bog back. “I’m going to ride in your shoulder and back out the same way when I’m done.”

“Okay,” Pare stated skeptically. “I’ll take you to Lily’s room, if…”

Marianne set her hand on Brutus’ face, whispering a few words, and in a flash of golden light, she was gone. Startled, all three men stared at where she had been sitting.

“I’m not naked!” Marianne laughed, glancing down at herself as she stood on top of Brutus’ head, flaring her wings. She ran her hands down the sides of her tunic. “That would have been so embarrassing!” 

The three men still stared in disbelief, even Bog, who had seen her as a fairy before. Pare gaped, taking a step back, shaking. Marianne flew out of the car and landed on top, watching him curiously.

“Pare, it’s okay.” Sunny waved at him through the window.

“Yeah, just go inside, and she’ll go with ye. She’s not going to hurt ye or anything.” Bog added.

Pare took a deep breath and nodded slowly. “A real fairy, wow, if you can help Lily…” He smiled and turned. “Let’s go.”

Marianne waved to Sunny and Bog, flying after Pare and landing on his shoulder. Her wings fell behind in the form of a billowing cape, and she blended into Pare’s body as he swiped his badge and walked inside the hospital.

“Good luck, Marianne,” sighed Bog, settling back into the seat to wait.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Sunny glanced over the backseat.

“It doesn’t matter,” mumbled Bog, running his fingers over Brutus’ coarse fur and into his ruff. “I can like her all I want, she’ll leave at some point.”

-=-=-=-=-

Marianne rode on Pare’s shoulder, fighting the butterflies whirling in her stomach. The inside of the hospital was well lit, with white walls and few places to hide. She was unnoticeable on Pare’s shoulder, and they didn’t see anyone else.

Pare whispered where they were going at each turn, taking an elevator up to the second floor. Her ride explained the halls as they passed them, and they walked by several rooms with sleeping children in them and a parent. Seeing so many children and being told they were there for hospice care was sad for Marianne. 

In her own Kingdom, her family could cure almost any disease, illness, or genetic defect. They didn’t have children sleeping in hospitals, unable to do the things children should be doing.

Pare stopped outside a small room and slid the door aside. “This is Lily’s room,” he whispered. “How long do you need?”

“Give me an hour.” Marianne spoke in Pare’s ear, then flew off his shoulder and into the room.

“I’ll leave the door open and come back around in an hour.” Pare acted like he was just checking inside the room, then walked back down the hall to tend to his duties.

The light in Lily’s room was off, but the light from the hall gave Marianne enough room to see as she circled the room, glancing at the equipment. A frail-looking young woman with pale skin and shoulder-length blonde hair rested in the hospital bed, appearing deep in sleep.

Marianne landed near her head, taking a moment to look at her. For a moment, she wondered if she could do this at her present size, then reminded herself that her abilities were the same, no matter what size she was. She just wasn’t accustomed to being around humans as a fairy.

The room was completely silent as Marianne pressed her hands through Lily’s hair to see if she could detect anything that could be fixed. She stood for a moment, then smiled, finding what she needed to. It wouldn’t take her long to adjust the missing links in Lily’s brain.

When she finished, she would have time to go back down the hall and get to a few of the children, if she worked fast enough and had enough energy, she could heal a few more. There was no way Marianne would leave without doing everything she could for whoever needed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss my corgi, rereading this. He was such a good corgi, loved people and was the sweetest dog, just like corgis should be. Sadly, we don't have any fairies living nearby.
> 
> Jelly beans are to prevent carsickness when you take a dog out. I give my aussies jelly beans, because they both still get nauseous on car rides. They LOVE them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... chaos ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early, because I'm going to be really busy tomorrow! So enjoy!

Two hours passed with Bog growing increasingly worried in the back of Sunny’s car. He got out a few times and walked Brutus, but still worried. There was no activity going on around the hospital, so he assumed Marianne was safe and just working, but she had told him before she went in that it would maybe take an hour.

Bog breathed a sigh of relief when the back door opened, and Pare stepped outside, then his heart began racing as the big man ran to them, clasping his hands in front of him, a worried look on his face.

“You need to leave,” Pare glanced over his shoulder, leaning through the back window to hold his hands out to Bog. “I hope she’s okay. She wouldn’t leave until she finished.”

Bog stared at Pare’s hands as he gently dropped Marianne into his own. The tiny fairy was sitting up, bracing herself on Bog’s hand, but didn’t look up or move. “What did she do?”

“You’ll see it on the news in the morning. Go, you need to leave now!” Pare stepped away, then turned to run back to the hospital.

“Sunny.” Bog folded his hand over Marianne, unsure of what he needed to do with her. Brutus whined and pushed his nose into Bog’s hand. Marianne’s head smacked into Bog’s face as a brief glimmer of light filled the car.

“Sorry,” Marianne winced, wearily turning her head to look at Bog.

“Are ye okay?” Bog rubbed his face, his other hand on Marianne’s shoulder. Brutus was on her lap, bouncing up and down, trying to lick her face.

“Seatbelts,” grumbled Sunny, glancing at his backseat through the mirror. He was driving out of the parking lot slowly.

“I’ve got ye.” Bog pulled the belt over Marianne’s lap quickly, then wrapped an arm around her as she leaned against his chest limply. “Marianne? Are ye okay?”

“I need to sleep,” Marianne whispered, passing out in Bog’s arms. 

“Marianne?” He tried to shake her back awake, not sure if he should let her sleep or not, but she didn’t respond. Worriedly, Bog checked her pulse, then ran his hand through her hair, clutching her close. “Marianne? What did you do?”

-=-=-=-=- 

The trip home seemed much longer than it took to get there, with Bog caressing Marianne’s cheeks, talking to her, trying to elicit any kind of response. He wasn’t sure what to do with her and worried the entire way.

With Sunny’s help, he got Marianne inside his house and into his room. Because he planned for his mother’s visit tomorrow, or rather, only a handful of hours from now, Bog suggested Marianne sleep in his room, and they moved the boxes and bags of clothing there the previous afternoon.

Bog had not told his mother a woman was staying with him, because she would have had so many annoying questions, far more than if she just met Marianne at his home. Now he had a flood of thoughts and even more worry stacked on top of Marianne’s condition.

Marianne was breathing and woke a few times to mumble apologies and tell Bog not to worry, she just needed to sleep. He wasn’t so confident as he tucked a blanket over her and made sure she was comfortable in his bed. Worrying over Marianne and whatever it was she had done, Bog didn’t sleep well. He walked back and forth from the living room to his room, checking on Marianne throughout the night.

By morning, he made a decision, one which Marianne was not going to like. He tried one final time to get her up, giving her breakfast smoothie concoction full of honey, heavy whipping cream, a few tablespoons of ghee, and orange juice. Even though he knew she might not like it, Bog sat on his bed next to her, made her sit up against him, and forced the glass into her hand, telling her to drink it.

For a moment, Bog thought everything was well. Marianne quickly drank the smoothie, her eyes closed the entire time, complimenting him on how good it was. Then she slumped against him and fell back asleep. With a sigh, Bog gave up and left her to sleep. She would not be happy with him.

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog walked into his garden as the first rays of sunlight began peeking over the horizon. He brought out a tray of bowls for the fairies, having taken up the empty ones the night before. Several of the dishes were full of the remainders of the breakfast smoothie he made for Marianne.

“Dawn!” He shouted, opening the gate that led into the forest and field beyond his home. “Dawn!” Bog didn’t walk far, observing the fairies in the trees swooping in on him for a closer look. There were hundreds of them, and half of them appeared to be children if he judged their wing size correctly.

Bog walked around, heading back to his garden, calling out for Dawn for a few more minutes, then he closed the gate and sat on the bench to watch the fairies swooping in, helping themselves to breakfast. Some of them carried tiny shells for bowls, and Bog paid attention to the sizes of what they held. Bottlecaps, plastic lids, anything cup-shaped, including folded leaves, was used, but not all of them had even those small items. 

Many of the fairies cupped their hands in the smoothie mixture. Bog smiled, watching as a bunch of tinier fairies joined the adults, and he saw them looking at him and waving. He waved back, then almost fell off the bench as Dawn flew into his face and laughed at him.

“Dawn!” Bog motioned to his shoulder, dropping his voice to a whisper, “I need to speak to you about Marianne.”

“Are you taking me to see her?” Dawn dropped down by Bog’s ear, gripping his hair.

Bog stood up, heading to the house. “Marianne used her healing ability last night, and now she’s exhausted. She won’t get up, and I’m worried about her.”

“Take me to see her,” Dawn stated seriously. “I’ll be able to check on her.”

“She will not be happy with me,” Bog grumbled, “but this is an emergency.”

-=-=-=-=- 

“Oh, wow, she’s so big!” Dawn fluttered off Bog’s shoulder as they entered his bedroom. She flew around Marianne and landed on Brutus, who was lying next to Marianne. He woofed, then the next thing Bog knew, he was slamming his hand over his eyes.

“This won’t do!” Dawn squeaked, glancing at Bog and her sister, now human-sized and very naked. “Do you mind?” She threw her hands over herself, despite Bog shielding his eyes.

“Marianne is going to be so mad at me!” Bog exclaimed, backing through the door and closing it. He stopped on the other side, lightly banging his head on the door. 

Dawn grinned at the dog. “Thank you!” She slid off the bed, glancing at herself, then over her shoulder. Everything looked the same, except she was naked, didn’t have her wings, and, she ran her hands over her ears, her ears were rounded and not pointed. She giggled at her sleeping sister, sliding off the bed to see what was in the boxes and bags stacked to one side.

-=-=-=-=-

Bog grumbled, checking the clock in the living room, then turning the tv on. He now had two fairies in his house, one he didn’t know that well, and his mother would arrive in less than an hour. He slumped into a chair and stared at the tv, his jaw dropping open.

The running news ticker had the words: Miracle Healing at Sugar Springs Hospital! Running on repeat along the bottom. A couple of beaming parents stood with a little bald boy between them, chattering excitedly. Then the boy announced loudly, “It was a fairy angel! She was so pretty! She told me not to worry that she was going to heal me, and I couldn’t tell anyone!”

Bog groaned, slapping his hand over his face and slowly dragging it down, eyes locked on the tv as a photo lineup slid over it. There were ten kids on the floor, with terminal illnesses and conditions. It was hospice care to keep them close to home and their parents. Bog stared at the screen as the conditions and children were listed, a lump growing in his throat as he tried to swallow.

Then, the last video played, of a frail-looking blonde woman, blinking and smiling, her brown eyes bright and alert. Bog rubbed his eyes and snorted, briefly unable to see. 

She did it.

Marianne did what she promised and more. Bog heaved, then tried to hold himself in, wiping his eyes at the sight of Lily’s family crowded around her, excited about the miracle. It took him several minutes, emotions overwhelming him. He wanted to rush to Marianne, hug her, kiss her, and thank her.

“Bogdan!” Marianne’s voice shrieked angrily from his room, shifting his happy mood to one of dread. 

“Hey, let me go!” Dawn’s annoyed voice joined Marianne’s screaming as several thuds were heard, then Marianne dragged her sister into the living room, in front of Bog.

“Bogdan! I told you she couldn’t come here!” Marianne still looked tired and rumpled, her hair sticking up in all directions, wearing the wrinkled clothes from the previous night. She held Dawn by the wrist, her little sister dressed in a dark blue shirt with a gleaming butterfly crossing over one side in silver. The shirt was a little too big, and she had new blue jeans on under them that were also not quite her fit.

Bog stared at the pair of them, mouth agape.

Then the worst thing possible happened.

The doorbell rang.

“My mother,” moaned Bog, getting up too fast. A wave of dizziness overcame him, and his vision momentarily blacked out. He crashed back into his chair.

“I’ll get it!” Marianne groaned, rubbing her forehead, “I’ll tell her I’m your nurse.”

“A nurse who obviously slept over last night?” Bog staggered to his feet. “We’re going to tell her the truth. I can’t lie to my mother.”

“Ooh, this is so much fun!” Dawn danced away from Marianne. “I get to meet more humans!”

“No!” Marianne dove for her. “You need to touch Brutus and get back into the garden where you belong!”

“Are you kidding me? Why should you get all the fun!” Dawn was fast, dodging behind furniture and Bog, easily evading her taller, still drowsy sister.

“Both of you knock it off! Please, mind for my mother!” Bog headed for the door. Brutus beat Bog to the door, bouncing up and down and barking. “Back. Brutus. Sit.” Bog glared at the dog as he obediently sat, ears upright, snorting at the door.

Bog took a moment, running a hand through his hair and knowing how bedraggled he had to look. He sighed and opened the door, smiling. “Mo-”

“Bog!” Sunny bounced up and down in front of Bog excitedly, wringing his hands. “Did you see the news! Did you see the news!”

“Sunny,” Bog sighed in relief. He grabbed his shorter friend by the shoulder and hauled him inside. “We have a problem!”

“They saw Marianne!” Sunny yelped, stumbling past Bog.

“What?!” Bog’s eyes bugged at that statement, beginning to shake as what that meant set in. “How much did they see?” He leaned toward Sunny.

“She just looks like a butterfly, but they caught her in each of the kid’s rooms, glowing. The cameras didn’t see her flying in the dark in the halls or with Pare, so they have no idea what she is.” Sunny explained quickly, as Bog motioned with his hands to speak quietly.

“Okay,” whispered Bog. “Now, we need to deal with the next issue.” The words were barely out of his mouth when Dawn darted into the hall with Marianne trying to grab her.

“Ah-hah!” Marianne slammed her shoulder into her sister, tackling her into the wall with a thud. Brutus ran up to them, barking wildly.

“Marianne!” Dawn squirmed, trying to fend her sister back, kicking and slapping at her. Marianne brought her to the floor, then realized Bog and Sunny were staring at them as they wrestled with each other.

“Marianne,” Bog stated, glancing at the front door. “Dawn. I don’t care what the two of ye do, but my mother is going to be here soon!”

“Dawn needs to go home now!” Marianne pulled her sister to her, rising to her feet.

“No, I do not!” Dawn protested, struggling, then she noticed Sunny staring at her and waved at him. “Hi, Sunny! Oh, wow, I’m taller than you are?!” Then she broke into hysterical giggling. 

Bog glanced at Sunny to see his cheeks darken in embarrassment. The younger man’s eyes fell to the floor. Then Dawn broke free of her sister, leaping toward Bog and Sunny. She dove behind them, ducking behind Sunny with one hand on Sunny’s shoulder and the other on Bog’s back, putting them between her and an upset Marianne.

“Dawn!” Marianne glared at her, then looked up at Bog. “Let’s get her out of the house and…” 

The doorbell rang.

Bog scowled at Marianne, then whispered to Dawn, “Please keep yer mouth shut.” Dawn grinned, stepping fully behind Sunny, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Bog turned back to the door, Brutus woofing at his heels.

This time when Bog opened the door, his mother was on the other side, throwing her hands up and stepping inside the door excitedly. “Bog, you’re standing?!”

“Good morning, Mother,” Bog stated, leaning down to hug her. “Uh, I have company.”

“Oh, my,” his mother gasped, looking past Bog and spotting the neighbor she knew, the pretty girl hanging off of him, and the young woman standing behind them trying to appear calm. “Good morning, Sunny, who’s your friend?”

“I’m his girlfriend, Dawn!” A cunning smile briefly passed over Dawn’s face as she hugged Sunny, who had a look of fear on his face at the fact a girl was hanging all over him and not just any girl, but a beautiful woman he knew was a fairy. “We’re just leaving!” Dawn hooked her arm under Sunny’s and began dragging him out the front door.

Marianne’s jaw dropped as Dawn and Sunny walked past Bog’s mother and headed to the porch. Bog held his hands up, gesturing to Marianne to stay where she was.

“Mom, this is Marianne, and that is her sister, Dawn.” Bog reached down to snag Dawn’s arm, pulling her back inside, and Sunny along with her. “Everyone inside so I can tell Mom what’s going on.”

“What’s going on?” His mother gave him a quizzical look, then gasped, reaching toward his face, “Bog, what happened to your face?”

“Marianne, Dawn, this is my mother, Griselda King.” Bog kept his hand on Dawn, who was now pouting at him, still clinging to Sunny. “Go back to the living room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter full of worry, excitement, and sisterly chaos!
> 
> Dawn ALMOST made it out the door! Hehehe.. I was surprised when she tried that.


	10. The Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Griselda takes things very well and Marianne makes a choice, which forces Bog to make a choice and they are not on the same page.

“Fairies?” Griselda looked Marianne up and down and snort laughed. “Fairies?” Then she broke into full laughter, squinting at Dawn clinging to Sunny.

“I’m not joking, Mom, they are fairies,” Bog grumbled. “I wanted ye to know. Marianne temporarily healed me.”

“Your father told me there were fairies in the woods nearby, but I always thought he was joking,” Griselda ran a wrinkled hand over her eyes, smiling. “He put that notion into your head.” 

Bog sighed, “I wanted to be honest with ye, so that’s why they’re here. Marianne’s going to leave in a few days, and Dawn’s going with her. Then I’ll be back where I started.”

Griselda’s brown eyes twinkled, studying Marianne and Bog. The pair of them sat side by side on the couch, Bog leaning forward with his attention fully on his mother, Marianne with her hands folded across her lap, leaning toward her son. 

“I suppose this explains what’s on the news this morning.” Griselda’s smile softened, staring at the pair of them. “You healed all those children and Lily?”

A light flush spread over Marianne’s face, and she lowered her gaze to her hands in embarrassment as Bog turned toward her. Griselda, shook her head, mumbling something under her breath. “You can’t heal my boy permanently like you did those kids and Lily?”

“It’s not the same kind of situation,” Marianne stated, lifting her head. “I can heal something that goes wrong in the body itself much easier than a body that has been broken by something outside of it.” Griselda’s sharp eyes caught Marianne’s hand drifting to Bog’s back, sliding from the base of his neck to his lower back.

The fact that her son didn’t get up tell her to stop, or do anything other than give Marianne a quick tilt of his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, told her more than either would likely say.

“Mom, there’s no permanent solution for my problem,” sighed Bog, turning his attention back to her. “I’m fine.”

“Where did you get that huge bruise on your face, Bog?”

“Oh.” Bog winced, his hand flying to the tender spot on his cheek and chin where Marianne hit him with her head.

“Sorry.” Marianne grimaced, just now noticing what she had done when she was changed from fairy to human earlier in the morning.

“Here, let me help!” Dawn bounced up, leaving the terrified boy in a slumping pile of confusion. “I can’t do as much as Marianne, but she’s not going to be able to do anything for a while!”

“Dawn,” Marianne made a face at her sister, her hand lingering on Bog’s lower back, rubbing him gently. “It’s just a bruise.”

“I want to.” Before any further protests could be aired, Dawn ran her hand over the bruise, and it vanished in seconds. Griselda gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

“Thank you, Dawn,” sighed Bog. He looked back at his mother. “See. Fairies.”

Marianne wobbled and slumped against Bog. “I’m exhausted.” She muttered.

“She needs to sleep for a while,” Dawn stated, sitting on the other side of her sister and taking her hand.

“And you need to go home.” Marianne scowled, turning her attention to her sister.

“Hah! Don’t think so, and you can’t make me!” Dawn laughed, and her sister gave her a fierce growl, with nothing to back it up.

Bog wrapped an arm around Marianne, helping her stand, “I’m going to get her back to bed. Dawn, do not go anywhere.”

“Where would I go?” The lively blond bounced over to Sunny and plopped down next to him. His eyes grew wide again, not daring to look at her as she slid an arm around his shoulder and whispered something to her. A loopy smile spread over his face, and Bog glared at him.

“Do not go anywhere.” Bog helped Marianne leave the room, with her barely able to use her feet.

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog put Marianne back into his bed, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders as she nestled into the pillows with a scowl on her face. “I’m sorry, Marianne,” he whispered, kneeling next to the bed, so his face was close to hers. “Ye worried me.”

“I’ll be fine.” She frowned, opening her eyes just enough that he could see a tiny glimmer of golden light. “It’s my fault. They were right there, and they were all so sad. I kept telling myself I could do one more until I got to the last one, and that was the one that took everything I had to finish.”

Bog ran a hand over his eyes, quickly, looking away. “And ye healed Lily. She’s awake, and her family’s happy. Everyone’s so happy. Those kids were all there to die, Marianne.”

“I know,” she murmured with a slight smile. “I couldn’t walk away, even if they aren’t my own kind. My father has always said we have our abilities for a reason. Share them when you are able and never use it for show.”

“The kids talked,” grumbled Bog, finally able to meet her eyes, looking over her soft face with her beautiful smile lighting it up.

“Kids do.” Marianne yawned and closed her eyes.

“Marianne.” Bog wriggled his fingers, reaching up with a hand to lay it on the bed near her. “I, uh, I want to thank ye for what ye did, but I want permission to hug ye, just once, before you go.”

“Kiss me if you want.” Marianne’s voice dropped to a whisper as sleep overtook her, and Bog stared at her, uncertainly. He wasn’t sure he heard her right or if she was even thinking about what he said.

“Yeah, I’d do that right before ye leave, even if ye slap me for it if ye give me that chance.” Bog smiled, watching her for a moment longer. His bed was going to smell so good by the time he got to use it again, and he was not changing the sheets.

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog found his mother busy in the kitchen, making omelets with Sunny and Dawn’s assistance. Sunny was trying to keep Dawn from licking her fingers after cracking an egg into a bowl. “You can’t eat that!” Sunny exclaimed, his hands trembling as he gripped Dawn’s slender wrists.

“Then why are we opening them?” Dawn giggled, flexing her fingers.

“You cook them first,” grumbled Sunny, dragging Dawn to the sink to wash her hands off again. She laughed and played in the water, splashing Sunny.

“Allow me,” Bog scowled at Sunny and Dawn, moving to take over cooking breakfast from his mother.

“Nonsense,” Griselda chuckled, then gave her son a stern look. “Sit down, I know what you like.”

“Mom, I wanted to make ye breakfast.” Bog loomed over her, shoulders slumping as he attempted to guilt her into giving him the spatula. “Ye’ve been coming here, making me meals every week. I wanted to cook for ye… like I used to.”

“Bogdan, sit down.” And she used her mom voice. Bog made a face, then dutifully walked to the table and took a seat, just as Dawn chased Sunny past him, flicking water at him from her wet fingers. He groaned and leaned over the table, wrapping his arms over his head.

-=-=-=-=- 

The day did not go as Bog planned. He ended up crashing in his mother’s room after giving her brief instructions to not let Dawn leave the house and to wake him in the early afternoon so he could make dinner. Bog curled up under the quilt his mom kept on the bed, briefly reminded of the days when he was a child, and his mother made him nap on her bed under a quilt. It was this very bedroom, just off the kitchen, where she could keep an eye on him while she baked or cleaned. Those days were so long gone, and Bog’s memories passed before him as he looked through the crack in the door at the kitchen.

Sleep came quickly, wasting most of the day in what seemed like a few minutes. Bog was so exhausted, he didn’t dream until he felt the mattress shift and someone leaned over him. Someone who smelled really good, caressing his face, kissing him on the cheek with a feather light touch. Then she was gone. Bog wasn’t sure if he dreamed it or Marianne was actually in his room. He blinked the sleep away and noticed the door to the room was closed.

A glance at the clock showed it was after four, and Bog groaned, realizing nobody came to wake up when he wanted to be up at one. Sounds were coming from the kitchen, people talking, cabinets opening and closing.

Grumbling, Bog slowly pushed the door open to peer into the kitchen. His mother had the two chickens he had marinating out on the counter in the roasting pan. She was checking the oven temperature. Marianne was pouring cornmeal into a bowl from a measuring cup.

Sunny was still there, reading off a recipe to Dawn at the dining room table, who was covered in flour. It looked like they were making sugar cookies. Wax paper, a rolling pin, and a pile of cookie cutters were laid out on the table.

Bog leaned in the doorway, staring at the domestic scene in awe. He watched as his mother handed Marianne the hand mixer and turned it on in her hands. Marianne jumped and laughed when it came on, then tentatively began running the mixer in the bowl, a huge grin on her face. Bog almost closed the door to let them continue without interrupting, but his mother spotted him.

“Bog! You’re awake!” Griselda grabbed a towel and began wiping her hands. “I need you to peel potatoes.”

Bog nodded, heading to the bowl of potatoes he had washed and scrubbed for this very purpose earlier in the morning. He said nothing, picking the bowl and peeler up, sliding them down to the end of the counter so they would be right over the trash can and he could peel them directly into it.

“I’m making cornbread!” Marianne turned to Bog with a massive smile, showing off the bowl she had just finished mixing.

“Yes, dear, now pour it into this dish, and we’ll put it in the oven in a bit” Griselda slid a rectangular glass casserole dish in front of Marianne that she had already prepared for the mix. Bog watched his mother grab the chickens and put them in the oven while Marianne attempted to get the mix into the dish with some awkwardness.

“Use this spatula,” Griselda was on top of it, handing Marianne a flexible bowl scraper to get all the mix out of the bowl.

“Ew, a cat!” Dawn stared at the cookie-cutter in her hand, “I do not like cats!”

“Why? Cats are really cool. I have a cat at home named Lizzie,” Sunny took the cutter and pressed it into the dough.

“Because they eat fairies!” Dawn pouted at Sunny.

“Yeah, we do not like cats.” Marianne grimaced, using the scraper to get more of the batter off the sides of the dish and inside with the rest. “Or owls, hawks, foxes, coyotes, snakes… okay, we really don’t like any kind of predator, except dogs.”

“But you’re bigger than a cat right now.” Sunny pointed out. “Dawn could come over to my house and play with my cat.”

“Oh, Marianne! Can I?!” Dawn looked at her sister, hopefully.

“No.” Marianne frowned, replying with no hesitation. “I’m letting you stay for now, but you can not leave this house.”

“It’s not a good idea,” stated Bog, skillfully peeling potatoes. He grumbled a bit more to himself, realizing he was likely going to be sleeping in the living room tonight.

-=-=-=-=-

Bog couldn’t remember the last time his house was full of so many happy people, bantering and enjoying each other’s company. He smiled and kept quiet, just enjoying the sound. Dinner was enjoyed by everyone, with Marianne at one point, hissing at everyone that the cornbread was all hers. Then she allowed everyone to share it with her, but she ate more of it than anything else on the table.

When they finished, everyone went out onto the front porch to talk, and Bog’s mother asked tons of questions of the two fairy girls, who were more than willing to answer them. Dawn shamelessly flirted with Sunny, who only had eyes for her, a ridiculously goofy smile plastered on his face.

Marianne sat next to Bog on the porch swing, while Griselda took the rocking chair. Sunny and Dawn sat on the steps, occasionally getting up to walk around the massive front yard. Brutus followed after them. 

“So, I guess Dawn’s staying the night?” Bog ventured, sipping lemonade as they watched the sun beginning to set.

“Yeah,” groaned Marianne. “She’ll sleep with me. We used to do that when we were kids. I need to keep an eye on her.”

“I think I’ll watch some tv and sleep in the living room,” stated Bog.

“You’ll be okay on the couch, Bog?” Griselda questioned. “I’m shorter, you could take my bed.”

“I did that earlier,” chuckled Bog. “Don’t worry about me, Mom, I’ll be fine.”

“Marianne, I need to thank you again for being here for my boy.” Griselda smiled at her, and Marianne’s cheeks flushed red. “Why did you choose him?”

Bog never asked the question and shifted his eyes to look at Marianne’s face without turning his head.

“He deserves it,” shrugged Marianne, glancing at Bog, then out at the sunset.

“When you go back to the fairy kingdom, could you take Bog with you to see it?” Griselda inquired curiously, looking from her son to Marianne. “It must be something amazing to see.”

“I don’t know.” Marianne hedged, running a hand through her hair, “I don’t want all the fairies knowing they can use Brutus to travel between our worlds and without wings, it would be a really long walk from the house.”

“It’s okay, ye don’t need to do that.” Bog turned to her with a smile, absently dropping his hand onto her knee, then he realized what he did and lifted his hand.

Marianne raised an eyebrow at him, then leaned to him to whisper, “I don’t mind.” Bog nodded as a reply, but ran his hand over his own knee, making no move to touch her. Grumbling, Marianne slipped her hand into his, twining her fingers around his. He swallowed hard, beginning to shake at the gesture, completely confused.

“You deserve it.” Marianne leaned close to Bog’s ear, whispering, her breath warm and soft. Goosebumps ran from Bog’s neck, down his arms, and he shivered. He glanced at Marianne, noticing that she was still leaning against him, her head turned.

Time seemed to stand still along with every sound in the world dropping to silence. He felt her lips on his ear, kissing gently, sneaking it in while no one could see in the growing darkness. Then she kissed his cheek, dragging her lips lightly down to his jaw. It felt incredible and everything in Bog screamed that he had to get away from her. He might have dreamed about it, but it could not happen.

Unable to stand it, Bog leaped to his feet, staggering across the porch as his vision blacked out. He walked off the front of the porch, tilted and face planted into his gravel path. The last thing he felt was a stunning sense of coldness and pain as his head struck one of the large river rocks he set into the gravel as a stepping stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In those last three paragraphs, Marianne screwed up my story notes! Completely tossed aside my plans for the next few days I had outlined. Dawn was supposed to sneak out of the house to visit with Sunny longer and Marianne and Bog were to go looking for her, then we were going to have cute, fluffy days of watching movies and getting to know each other better.
> 
> At this point, I had to figure out what was wrong with Bog, since he keeps having that issue with his vision blacking out when he stands. Turns out, one of the causes is severe back trauma. I, uh, didn't knooooow that. He just kept doing it and I wrote it down. They do weird things like this often.
> 
> So things just took a turn for the worse...
> 
> This is just here for a reminder: Remember, Marianne did tell Bog she would only be there for a week and would leave, meaning to Bog, this will not change, no matter what and he should protect himself from the inevitable heartbreak if he does anything more than daydream about her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog has to protect himself, from her, and it's the wrong decision.

Bog woke with a splitting pain in his forehead, blinking up into Marianne’s shadowed face. “I am so sorry!” She grimaced, running her hands over Bog’s forehead. He felt a gentle warmth and the pain mostly went away, but not all of it. “I’ll get Dawn to fix it!”

“No!” Bog flailed, trying to get away from her. He ended up with his mother holding him, staring at Marianne wide eyed. “Don’t touch me, Marianne! I’m fine!” He was shaking all over and Marianne stared at him in shame, not entirely sure what she had done. Well, she had an idea.

“Bog, calm down.” Griselda gripped his arm, trying to keep him down, but Bog managed to get to his feet. He was shaking all over, glancing at Marianne nervously.

“I’m going for a walk.” Bog darted out across the lawn, weaving unsteadily.

“I uh, I’ll go get him.” Marianne glanced at Griselda, then ran after Bog.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

“Bog, I’m sorry!” Marianne called out, catching up to him quickly. He wasn’t running in a straight line, nor that quickly.

“Ye, ye can’t do that!” He turned, his face a mixture of terror and fear, shaking violently.

“I won’t do it again! Please, come back! Dawn needs to check you over!” Marianne persisted, grabbing Bog’s arm as he staggered and almost fell.

“Please, don’t touch me!” Bog jerked his arm out of her grasp, tripped, and ended up flat on his back. “Don’t touch me!”

Marianne dropped to her knees next to him, staring into his eyes. “I am sorry, I just, I really wanted to.” She glanced back to the front of the house, then around them, not seeing anyone close enough to hear whispers. “You are driving me crazy, did you know that?”

Bog took a deep breath, staring at her. “That is why ye need to keep your hands to yerself and go, tonight. Ye need to take yer sister and go home, Marianne.”

“Why?” Marianne chewed on her lower lip.

“Ye came here, ye did a wonderful thing, Marianne, but now ye need to go, because that’s what ye were going to do in the first place. Ye are going to leave!” Bog threw his hands into the air, shouting more than he intended. His voice dropped to the whisper. “Yer done here, Marianne. If ye stay, ye are going to end up hurting me more than helping.”

Marianne stared at him, wide eyed, completely unsure about what to do. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Bog, I really like you. I’ve always liked you.” She ran a hand quickly over her eyes and Bog’s jaw dropped.

“Why, why would ye cry over me?” Bog stared at her. “Ye are a fairy princess, I’m sure ye have better men than me in your kingdom. Men who don’t have all my problems.”

“I’ll go home,” sighed Marianne. “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, Bog.” She rose and held out her hand. Bog sighed, refusing the gesture. He got to his feet and wobbled, a tiny bit of pain streaking through his lower back.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Dawn was not happy, having her sister drag her away from Sunny while they were laying in the middle of a nearby grassy field, talking and looking at the stars. Sunny followed them, staring at Dawn, reaching for her, until Bog intervened.

“Sunny, they’re going home.” Bog grumbled, turning him around. “Ye need to go home. Remember, she’s a fairy and a princess. We do not fit in their lives, so don’t even entertain the idea.”

“Bog,” Sunny whined, staring up at him. “She’s so amazing.”

“Go home, Sunny.” Bog pushed him toward his car, following him around the side of the house while Marianne and Dawn vanished inside, with Brutus at their heels.

Griselda stood on the porch, wringing her hands at the sudden change in everyone.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Marianne dragged Dawn to the kitchen, with her sister struggling. “What is the hurry!” Dawn cried out, glancing over her shoulder. “Why do we have to leave now?!”

“Because I don’t want to hurt Bog,” hissed Marianne, kneeling to touch Brutus. “Time to go home, Brutus. Thank you for what you’ve done.” Brutus tilted his head and in a flash of light, both Marianne and Dawn returned to fairy size.

Marianne tugged Dawn to the dog door as Brutus trotted ahead of them and pushed it open. The two fairies passed through it, with Marianne carrying Dawn.

“I was having fun!” Dawn fell limp in Marianne’s arms, crying. “I liked Sunny. He was fun!”

“We are fairies! They are humans!” Marianne growled, carrying her sister quickly through the yard and beyond the fairy garden.

“So?” sniffled Dawn. “We’ve been told lots of stories about humans and fairies falling in love!”

“We have responsibilities.” Marianne grumbled as the pair of them vanished into the darkness. “And we can’t hurt them by leading them on.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Bog stood in the middle of his yard, watching Sunny’s car lights disappear down the dark road. Then he just stood there, still trembling at what he had done. His chest hurt and his stomach was twisted into a knot that was also caught in his throat, making it hard to breathe.

It had to be done, he told himself. Marianne had to leave before she tempted him to a point that there would be no return. He had to chase her away now, because if he didn’t, it was likely he would do something he would never be able to forget. He could not be in love with Marianne, because she would crush his heart when she had to leave.

Better now, than later.

“Bog?” His mother reached out and touched his arm, breaking the trance. “What happened?”

“They needed to go,” stated Bog without emotion, turning to his mother. “Let’s go inside and forget this.” He turned, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulders. Griselda sighed, patting Bog on the back as they went inside.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

He could have been selfish.

He could have used Marianne to heal him.

He could have accepted her gestures.

But it wasn’t love, because love wasn’t real. If he couldn’t have real love, he didn’t want fake love. In Bog’s entire life, he told himself, he would never take advantage of another person and he could not make another person’s life miserable to make himself happy. 

Never.

Bog could have accepted Marianne’s advances, let them run as far as they could, but then what? If he actually fell in love, if it turned out to be real, there was nothing but heartache at the end for him. She told him up front, she would leave.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Days went by, turning into weeks and Bog’s crippling pain returned. It wasn’t as bad as it was before, and he was able to walk with a cane. He sent Sunny out to take care of the garden, refusing to leave the house in case he might catch sight of those beautiful blueish-purple wings.

Sunny came by every day, and told him he didn’t see either Dawn or Marianne. He looked for them constantly. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Sunny couldn’t get Dawn out of his mind, that fairy girl was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and her personality drew him to her. He would follow that woman anywhere, but unfortunately, he couldn’t follow her as a fairy.

While Bog moped inside his house, obviously hurting and missing Marianne, Sunny did his work, knowing Dawn was out there somewhere. He also tried to cheer Bog up, but took care to never mention the fairies, beyond the fact that he didn’t see the princesses.

That was, until one afternoon he went to get into his car and as he drove away, a very blond head popped up behind his seat and screamed his name excitedly. Sunny drove into the ditch at the side of the road in a panic, and Dawn pitched forward into the passenger seat, almost hitting her head on the dash.

Dawn wore the same clothes she did when she left, jeans and a t shirt, a little too big for her so it was pulled over one shoulder. She looked up at Sunny, smiling at him with those beautiful innocent blue eyes blinking beneath thick dark eyelashes.

From that day on, there were days Sunny lied to Bog, or at least didn’t tell him the full truth. He never saw Dawn with her wings, just met up with her every couple of days when his work day was done, and a few times on his days off, during the day.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Marianne walked through the castle halls, unable to sleep, a heavy gloom hanging over her shoulders. She saw to her duties, avoided her father, and spent most of her free time sulking in her bedroom. It left her plenty of time to think.

She thought her feelings would fade as long as she avoided the fairy garden, and kept Dawn away from there as well. But every day and every night, she longed for that man, that simple, kind human man, not a fairy man. Something about him left its mark and she couldn’t get rid of it.

“Marianne,” her father addressed her in concern, watching her push food around on her plate at dinner one evening. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Dad.” Marianne put on a pretend smile, shoving a bite of fruit into her mouth and chewing like it was the most painful experience in her life.

“Marianne,” Dagda sighed. “You haven’t been right since you came home after spending time in the human world and you haven’t told me what happened. I’m concerned about you. You’re barely eating, you don’t sleep… what happened?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Marianne returned to stabbing fruit and pushing it around on her plate.

“Wouldn’t understand that lovesick look on your face?” Her father folded his hands on the table before him, studying his eldest daughter, while the youngest kept her mouth shut and ate her dinner.

“Lovesick?” Marianne made a disgusted face. “Lovesick? Dad?”

“What would you call it?” Dagda narrowed his eyes at her. “That was five months ago and you have it bad.”

“I do not have anything bad!” Marianne nervously ran a hand over her face. “You’re ridiculous!”

“You should go see him.” Dawn suddenly piped up, glancing from her father to Marianne. “Right now. Tonight!”

“See who?” Their father inquired curiously.

“Bog, the human who’s taking care of the fairy garden and all those fairies who’ve made a home outside his home!” Dawn kept talking, smiling as her sister waved her hand and made faces, trying to make her stop.

“Marianne,” Dagda gasped, knitting his brows. Then he added in a gentler voice. “Marianne?”

With a groan, Marianne threw her head back. “I can not get him out of my mind!”

“Oh, I know how that feels.” Dawn giggled wistfully.

“A human?” Dagda scowled, then softened his expression and sighed. “A human. You’ve fallen in love with a human?” He was quiet for a moment as Marianne ran both of her hands over her face and groaned again in frustration.

Dagda sighed again, steepling his fingers. “Marianne, bring him here.”

“Why?” Marianne sat upright, blinking at her father.

“So I can meet him of course.” Dagda smiled at his daughter. “If you love him, bring him here.”

“You, seriously, you would be okay with that?” Marianne gaped at her father. “I thought… he’s a human, Dad.”

“Marianne, at this point, I don’t care who you love or marry as long as you love and marry someone!” Dagda laughed. “I don’t care if he’s a human, if you love him, I will accept him.”

“Dad!” Marianne jumped up excitedly. She twirled around the table, grabbing her father in a hug. “I’ll be back in the morning!” Then she was gone, a blur of blue and purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dawn.  
Dawn. :D
> 
> Poor Bog, taking Marianne's words as an absolute and she doesn't fight back this first time, out of respect for his wishes. Of course, Bog is kinda stuck in the: I don't deserve anything for anything rut, because that's a hard one to get out of once you're in it. He definitely doesn't believe a fairy princess would really want him.
> 
> Dagda being supportive. :D 
> 
> You know.... I haven't shown Roland even once yet....


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resigned to his fate to die alone, Bog waits for the end to come... and the hallucinations begin again.

Bog turned off the tv and sat in his dark living room. There was no reason to leave it. The Miracle that happened in the spring was no longer talked about, but he knew Lily was recovering well. Nobody mentioned him in the news stories, just the young woman who woke from a coma after two decades. It was enough to see her awake and know every part of his life was resolved. He hadn’t left his house at any point since the night the fairies left. There was no writing, cooking, or anything, but he kept Sunny on to make sure the fairies were taken care of.

As far as Bog was concerned, he was done and waiting for the end, however long that took, and he sunk into a far deeper depression than he had ever endured before. His mother worried about him, so he put on a show for her that he was fine and happy when she came around, but when she wasn’t there, he barely moved from his favored chair in the living room.

He ate while his mother visited, but had no appetite in between, wishing his misery to end as images of that beautiful fairy filled his thoughts. In only a few days, she did her damage to him, and it wasn’t her fault. Knowing the only woman who might have ever loved him was entirely out of his reach did it. He drove her crazy? She had no idea what she did to him.

Now, he was weak and had hidden his condition from his mother thanks to constant doses of cough syrup. He said goodbye to his mother a little more emotionally than usual earlier in the day. The effects of the medicine wore off, and now he was hot and cold at the same time, shivering and just too worn out to get up and do anything about it. Go him, taken out by a most likely common illness. He wasn’t even sure how he got it since Sunny wasn’t sick, and he never left the house. Whatever it was, in his state, he wondered how long it would take if he didn’t fight it. 

And he wondered further, how do you just stop fighting? Was it a decision you made consciously or unconsciously? What if his subconscious wanted to fight, even though he consciously wanted to give up? Could your subconscious decide to give up when you consciously wanted to live? Delirium had him pondering how to give up and if he really had or not.

“Bog?” He heard her voice in the darkness and thinking he was hallucinating, didn’t respond. “Bog?” Now he heard light footsteps and Brutus’ nails on the floor in the hall.

“Marianne?” His voice rasped from disuse as he squinted into the darkness. The living room light came on, and Bog shut his eyes quickly.

“I uh, oh, Bog.” Marianne stood in the doorway, staring at his disheveled appearance, the shivering, and the empty bottles on the table next to him. “Bog…”

“Ye shouldn’t be here.” Bog grimaced.

“No, this is definitely where I should be.” Marianne crossed the room quickly, not waiting for permission as she leaned over and put her hands on Bog’s chest, trying to look him in the eyes. “Bog, what happened to you?” He squirmed as her fingers felt through his shirt, able to feel every rib. She lifted her hands to his face, where he had grown a thick beard to hide his physical state.

“I don’t want to hurt anymore, Marianne, ye need to leave and forget me.” Bog grumbled, closing his eyes.

“I came to get you, Bog,” she ran her fingers through his hair, grumbling. “I’m going to take care of the pain, then you need to eat something.”

“Why? What’s the point?” Bog wouldn’t open his eyes. “I don’t know where to go from here.”

“You’re going to come home with me.” Marianne slid her arms around Bog’s back, beginning to work her healing on him, easing his pain. “I love you, Bog.”

Bog muttered then sighed, a small smile spreading over his face as the pain left him. “I love ye too, Marianne. I’ve thought of nothing but ye since you left.”

Marianne scowled at him. “Bog, you weren’t seriously just going to sit here and die, were you?”

“I’m in so much pain, Marianne,” he replied, sitting upright shakily. “So much pain.”

“I’m going to get you something to eat, then we’re going to talk.” She stared at him for a moment. “You need a shower, even if I have to get in there and help you.”

“I can manage,” Bog sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. “But if ye want to join me, feel free, I don’t have the energy to do anything about it.”

“Food’s more important, Bog.” Marianne smiled uneasily at him, watching in concern.

-=-=-=- 

Marianne was almost afraid to leave Bog alone as he walked slowly across the room. She followed him to the bathroom, where he assured her he would be fine and would prefer cleaning up. 

If she had waited longer, what would have happened to him? She felt his ribs, with deep grooves in between them that were worse than the first time she touched him.

When the water turned on, Marianne walked to the kitchen to see what she could find for Bog to eat. There wasn’t much, but she found a few cans of soup and opened one. It took her a little bit to remember how the stove worked, but soon, she had a nice chicken noodle soup warming up.

“Yer really here?” Bog stared at her, leaning in the doorway, toweling his long hair dry. He didn’t look like he was all the way there mentally, just staring.

“Sit at the table.” Marianne began ladling soup into a bowl.

“Yer really here?” Bog repeated, his tired blue eyes trying to fix on Marianne as he sat at the table.

“Yes, I’m really here.” Marianne slid the bowl in front of him and sat next to him, stirring the soup as he sat with his arms crossed loosely over his lap. “And I am going to take care of you.”

“Why?” Bog tilted his head at her.

“Because I love you.” Marianne smiled, lifting the spoon to his mouth. “Now, open your mouth.” He did as he was told, staring at Marianne.

-=-=-=- 

The next morning, Bog awoke in his own bed, pain-free and with his stomach growling hungrily. A good night’s sleep, without pain, and with good food in him did wonders. Better yet, he wasn’t dreaming as he realized he wasn’t alone.

Marianne was facing him, her hair a wild mess from sleep, and her cheeks pink. They were both still dressed, but Marianne had one arm tucked between them, her hand on his chest, while the other draped over his side. He laid there for a moment, trying to recall their conversation from the previous night and wasn’t sure they actually talked.

As far as Bog could remember, Marianne made him eat a bowl of soup, then helped him to his bed and whispered sweet things to him, trying to comfort him as he fell asleep.

She told him she loved him and would never leave him, that she would always be there.

Repeatedly.

And she was taking him home with her?

Bog slowly slid out of Marianne’s arms, leaving her to sleep while he went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He felt ravenous and knew he needed to eat to think clearly. He ate a small bowl of soup, then showered again and shaved, before returning to the kitchen.

Over another bowl of soup, Bog picked up the phone and called Sunny, telling him that ‘she’ was back and to run an errand into town to pick up a few groceries, everything to make cornbread for his lovely princess. Bog’s thoughts were beginning to clear, and everything around him seemed brighter than usual. Marianne’s words were still in his mind, a strange magic to them that made him smile and feel warm inside.

Did he love her?

Absolutely.

-=-=-=-

“How are you feeling, Bog?” Marianne stopped in the kitchen door to look at him. She yawned and smiled at him, seeing he had been busy while she was sleeping.

“Better.” Bog gazed at her. “Now that yer here.” He dropped his spoon into the bowl and rose, walking up to her, his eyes locked on her with every moment. “Ye came back.” He lifted his hands, hesitated, then Marianne stepped forward, touching his jaw with her fingertips, gently caressing him.

“Bog, I would have come back anyway. You were just so upset, I didn’t know what to do.” Marianne looked into Bog’s blue eyes, which were shining brighter than they had the previous evening. 

“I’m sorry,” sighed Bog, wrapping his arms loosely around her and leaning down to hug her, enjoying the contact and warmth. They just stood there for a few minutes, holding each other.

“You aren’t going to freak out again if I kiss you, are you?” Marianne pulled back and smiled, passing her fingertips over Bog’s lips.

“No.” He took her hand, kissing her fingers gently, then began planting soft kisses down her arm, leaning over to reach her. His other hand slid into hers, squeezing for a moment before sliding it up her arm, barely touching. Marianne held back doing anything, allowing Bog to take the lead.

Bog trembled, getting to her shoulder, pushing aside the top of her shirt, continuing the gentle passing of his lips over her skin, nibbling here and there in between, working his way across her neck, then up over her jaw and to her ear. The teasing was incredible, his warm hands sliding around her back, fingers kneading slowly.

Marianne bit back a need to make him just kiss her already. Bog was carrying the teasing touching on to an almost aggravating point. Instead, she bit her lower lip and let him continue, knowing full well from what he told her, this was his first kiss and she wasn’t going to ruin it by kissing him first or making any demands.

A moment later, he pressed his lips to hers, his hands slipping up her back and into her hair, dragging over just the right spot on the back of her neck to elicit a shiver. Marianne giggled and opened her mouth, then found Bog there as well, tentatively deepening the kiss, making it an exceptionally nice first kiss, that spread an immediate heat through her body.

When Bog pulled away, Marianne was breathing harder than he was, wanting so bad to follow and do it again. Bog smiled and licked his lips. “We probably need to talk.” He staggered back a few steps, then turned to look for his chair. Bog sat, staring at the floor with a massive smile on his face. “We need to talk,” he repeated, running a hand through his shoulder-length hair. “We really need to talk.”

“Yeah, but I think right now, you need to eat since you seem broken,” laughed Marianne, taking the chair across from him.

“Yer the one that broke me, Marianne.” Bog looked up, still smiling. “I made promises to myself when I was a teenager, watching idiots around me play at love, that I would never play. It’s all or nothing if it ever turned out to be real, so here’s me being all or nothing.” Bog took a deep breath, rising to his feet again.

“If ye are serious about everything ye said last night, that ye love me and yer always going to be there and never going to leave me, then I am saying the same to ye.” Bog took a few steps closer. “I love ye, Marianne. This world never welcomed me, but ye did. I swear the same to ye that I would never leave ye, and I will always be there for ye.”

He stopped next to Marianne, who was staring up at him wide-eyed, a smile on her face, wondering if he was really going to say what she thought he was.

“What do fairies do when they make those vows?” Bog fell to one knee, reaching for Marianne’s hand.

“Typically, they get married.” Marianne laughed, overcome with giddy emotion.

“Sorry to say, I don’t have much to give ye. I have no idea how I’ll even fit in yer world, but I want to try. Stop me if this is stupid.” Bog paused, gazing into Marianne’s golden brown eyes. “Stop me, Marianne.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Marianne turned in her chair, taking Bog’s hand. “I have some ideas.”

“Will ye marry me?” Bog asked quickly, even though her hand was already in his.

“Yes, that’s why I came back to get you in the first place.” Marianne slid out of the chair and into Bog’s arms. “I was going to ask you, so we could be together.”

Bog squeezed her tightly, holding her in his arms, which began shaking. “Ugh, I hope that goes away soon. I feel so weak.” He grumbled, loosening his hold.

Marianne turned, kissing him quickly, “I’m going to go home to talk to my father, then I’m going to come back. You’re not in any shape to travel.”

“I’m sorry,” Bog sighed. “I didn’t want ye to see me like this.”

“You would rather I showed up later and found you dead?” Marianne glared at him, sliding a hand beneath his chin. “I’m the one that should be sorry. I should have come back earlier or not left at all. I should have argued with you!”

“Marianne, I have spent my entire life being told I’m worthless, a waste of space among humanity, completely unwelcome.” Bog scowled. “That nothing I would or could do means anything to anyone. I am only a burden to my mother. But then ye showed up and treated me like I was someone special, but ye could only be here a short time. When ye left, that was it for me, and I feel pathetic for even saying that.”

“Bog,” sighed Marianne. “I’ll be back soon, I swear, but before I go, you are none of those things to the people who love you, and I know it’s not just me. I read snippets of your work when you were in the garden, even while I was in the house alone, I read the things you wrote, and they were beautiful. You have so much more to give to the world than you believe.” She stood, offering her hand, and this time Bog took it, shakily rising to his feet.

“Thank ye, Marianne.”

“We’ll work on it.”

Bog settled back into his seat at the table, giving Marianne one last smile as she walked to the door with Brutus whining at her feet. “I love ye, Marianne.”

“I love you too, Bog.” She smiled, wiping her hand quickly over her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a sad chapter to write.  
It's also a chapter that makes me think back to the original Beauty and Beast story, where the beast is dying of a broken heart in the end, alone and forgotten in his castle.
> 
> And now I only have chapter 13 written. :D I should have at least another 10 chapters to write! Now to get on to them, since Monday I had nothing written for Winter Wings and now there's 5 chapters completed! Gotta put my mind into it!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny and Dawn have been up to something for months while Bog was wasting away.

Dawn strolled down the road, texting Sunny on the phone he had given her months ago. She arrived at Bog’s house before the sun rose, retrieving the phone from the garage. Sunny left the door unlocked so she could keep the phone in there, hidden. That’s how they met up and arranged time together without Bog knowing or any fairies seeing her use Brutus to go from fairy to human and back again. She wore a pretty peach sundress, one of several outfits Sunny had bought her over the past six months. 

Sunny’s car appeared down the road, and after a few minutes, he stopped, and she bounced into the passenger seat. “Good morning, Sunny!” She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek quickly, before strapping the seat belt on. “Marianne spent the night.” Dawn giggled.

“Good. I hope she snaps Bog out of it,” sighed Sunny, turning the car around. “I’m really worried about him.”

“She hasn’t been much better.” Dawn frowned, reaching over to touch Sunny’s arm. “So, are you going to let me drive today?”

“I, uh,” Sunny swallowed hard, glancing at Dawn, who was eagerly smiling at him.

“Please, I promise I’ll be careful.” Dawn wriggled excitedly.

“It’s hard to find a safe place for you to drive.” Sunny smiled. “Maybe on the way back after we buy groceries for Bog.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Marianne flew home in a rush seeking her father to let him know what was going on with Bog and get advice. She found him in the middle of a meeting in his study and paced outside the room, waiting. It seemed to go on forever until half a dozen elves left the room, and her father greeted her with a smile.

“Marianne, how did it go?” Dagda stepped side, motioning for Marianne to join him in the room. She strode by, her wings flowing behind her.

“He asked me to marry him, but he was in awful shape when I found him last night.” Marianne sighed, turning to sit on the edge of her father’s desk, facing him. “I thought I could take some ambrosia to him, to help him recover.”

“I’m not sure how effective it would be to a human.” Dagda ran a hand over his chin in thought. “You are free to try, but he may just need time. What was wrong with him?”

“He was dying,” whispered Marianne. “Seriously, he was sick and wasted away. His injuries are so severe, he was giving up.”

“Marianne.” Dagda stood in front of her, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Do what you need to do. It won’t hurt him.”

“I thought I’d let you know it might be a few weeks before I get him here.” Marianne slid off the desk and into her father’s arms, hugging him. “Thank you, Father.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Sunny ran his fingers over the velvet box in his pocket. He had been carrying it for over a month, waiting for the right moment to offer it to Dawn. Now was not the right moment. The pair of them were walking through the grocery store with Dawn acting like it was a typical, everyday experience. He took her to the store several times before, as well as shopping for clothes, to the movies, and one evening, they even went to a local concert.

Dawn was amazing, and Sunny hoped she would spend her life with him if he asked her to. He wasn’t sure she would, because they didn’t talk about it and they had not said ‘I love you’ even once. They just enjoyed their time together, and the kissing and making out. 

But Sunny was too shy to tell her how he felt, even as he made plans. The money Bog paid him was mostly saved, and Bog paid him well. Sunny was a good all-around handyman, but what he really enjoyed was the art of landscaping and the fact that with enough experience, it paid well. 

Over the last few months, Sunny began taking classes online to learn more. While he also had a passion for music, if he wanted a family, he knew that he would probably have to remain a hobby. At least he enjoyed being out in nature and working with his hands.

“When are you going to tell Marianne?” Sunny put a large bag of cornmeal into the cart.

“Tell her what?” Dawn studied the various bags of flour and sugar on the shelves.

“About you coming here so often,” stated Sunny, glancing at his list. They were down to just needing milk, eggs, and whatever looked good in the meat case.

“I don’t know.” Dawn turned, biting the corner of her lower lip, looking nervous. It was unusual for Dawn to look that way, but it tended to happen if the conversation involved her sister. She walked around behind Sunny and wrapped her arms loosely around him, her head resting against his back. “Do I have to tell her?”

“At some point, you’re going to have to tell her.” Sunny closed his eyes briefly as he walked, enjoying the contact. “Or, uhm, are you going to go home and not come back again?”

“I’d never do that!” Dawn didn’t hesitate, running her fingers through Sunny’s hair. “I like being out there!”

“Good, because I like you being out here too.” Sunny turned with a smile, gazing into Dawn’s beautiful blue eyes. Then, he chose to say it, because it had to be said. “I love you.” Unfortunately, he said it too slowly. Dawn was already further down the aisle, looking at something. 

Sunny sighed, going back to the grocery shopping. His moment of courage was gone, and he would have to wait for another one.

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog swore at his body as he gargled mouthwash to get the foul taste of vomit out of his mouth. Shortly after Marianne left, he staggered to the bathroom, nauseous, and proceeded to throw up everything he had eaten that morning. 

He went back to that conversation he had with himself the previous evening. What if his body didn’t get the memo that he really, really wanted to live? Grumbling, Bog retreated to his living room, picking up his laptop for suggestions of what he could eat and texted more items to Sunny.

Bog sighed as he flipped through windows and came across the story he was halfway done with about the fairies and the goblins in his garden. He hadn’t opened the laptop since they left. There was nothing else to do, and a flicker of inspiration lit up his thoughts. He was tired, but he could write until Marianne returned, or Sunny arrived, whichever happened first.

-=-=-=-=-

“Bog, are you okay?” Marianne’s voice broke Bog’s sleep a few minutes later.

“Fell asleep,” murmured Bog, blinking at her and glancing around the room. The clock said over an hour had passed. He was leaning back against the couch with his laptop still in his lap, hands resting on the keyboard.

“You don’t look right,” sighed Marianne, picking the laptop up and setting it aside. She sat at the edge of the couch, reaching up to slide her hand over Bog’s shoulder. “Lay down.” 

Bog didn’t fight it, slumping over sideways so that his head ended up in Marianne’s lap. “I am so tired.” 

“Maybe this will help.” Marianne held up a very tiny round bottle in her hand. “I got the biggest vessel I could find that I could carry and filled it with something we give to really sick fairies. It acts as a reset, boosting your immune system and revives failing organs. It’s sometimes more potent than our healing abilities.”

“Okay.” Bog nodded, shifting, so he faced up, Marianne’s hand cradling his head.

“I can heal you all I want, but you physically don’t have a way to maintain it.” Marianne held the bottle over Bog’s face. “Open your mouth.”

“Sunny’ll be here at any time, and I’ll boil some eggs.” Bog opened his mouth, gazing up at Marianne. 

It was only a few drops worth of liquid, but the effects were immediate. A wave of warmth passed through Bog. He gasped as the weariness fell away, and his heartbeat quickened to a normal pace.

“Good.” Marianne set the bottle aside, then cradled Bog against herself, kissing his forehead. “I’m going to stay with you until you’re better, then we are leaving together.”

“Thank ye, Marianne.” Bog reached up as they began kissing, then stopped after a few heated minutes. “Probably shouldn’t do that until I’m a bit more normal.”

“Hard to resist.” Marianne smiled, wiping her eyes briefly, “I’ve thought about you every day, Bog”

“I’ve thought of nothing else but ye.” Bog smiled, closing his eyes, his head still resting on her lap. Marianne began running her fingers lightly over Bog’s face, touching him affectionately as she traced the lines. “I don’t believe in love at first sight, but something about you just clicked inside me, like a puzzle piece slotting into place.”

“Like we were just meant to be together,” Marianne stated, gazing down at him. “That’s not really love at first sight, because trust me, I have had the love at first sight experience and it is not the same.”

“I haven’t. Pretty girls are pretty and all, but that doesn’t last a lifetime.” Bog grimaced, “Not that I’m saying you’re not pretty, because I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, inside and out!”

Marianne laughed. “I know what you meant, Bog. The word you’re looking for is drab when it comes to me compared to other women.”

“You are never to say that word again.” Bog scowled at her, then smiled, reaching up to cup her face. “You are the most stunningly amazing woman I have ever met.”

“That’s sweet.” Marianne closed her eyes, relaxing as Bog caressed her cheek. “I’ve watched you for years, Bog, as a curiosity and well because something about you just drew me to you.”

“So ye had ulterior motives to coming to me that wasn’t just for helping the fairies in the garden.” Bog smiled, sliding his fingers over her ear, then up into her hair, enjoying the thick and soft texture.

“Maybe,” admitted Marianne, a flush passing over her cheeks. “I, uh, don’t really know what I was thinking. I wasn’t looking for a relationship… or a husband. I’ve been dodging my ex-fiance for two years now.”

“Oh, wow, some idiot made you so mad you dumped them after they asked you to marry them? What did they do, so I don’t make that error.” Bog stared at her with complete seriousness.

“I have a suspicion you wouldn’t make that error,” sighed Marianne, looking into Bog’s wide blue eyes, noting how sincere they were. “You see, something about him made me not want to go all the way with him before we were married, so he went and found other girls who would.”

The pain was evident in Marianne’s amber lit eyes as they glimmered at the thought. “I’m not sure if it hurt more that he did it at all or that he did it with a girl that looked a lot like me. A much younger girl, who I caught him with, right before our wedding, bedding her out in a field.”

“Oh.” Bog grimaced as Marianne ran her hand quickly over her eyes. “So, after what I did to you, I am so sorry I made ye leave. I didn’t want to hurt ye.”

“You didn’t know, Bog.” Marianne smiled through her tears, fighting them back. “I’ve thought a lot about that conversation, and what it meant, what every conversation we had meant. It didn’t take long to know you, because what you see is what you get.”

“Unfortunately.” Bog chuckled. “I can be cranky and get frustrated a lot.”

“Yeah, but you don’t hide anything,” laughed Marianne. “I know where I am with you all the time because you aren’t playing any weird manipulative games with me. I don’t think it’s even possible for you! Your face is just as much of a window to your soul as your eyes!”

“Can ye please stop crying now?” Bog reached up to wipe Marianne’s eyes. “Talk about something happier. I don’t like seeing ye like this, because I don’t know how to make it better. Well, I think I know what would help, but I’m not in any shape to even hold ye.”

“Sorry.” Marianne smiled. “I love you, Bog.”

“I love ye too, Marianne, and I’ll make up for this later.” Bog closed his eyes. “If I could, I’d hold ye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, recovering from something as severe as Bog was going through, shouldn't be fixed as easily as it appeared to. He still has a road to recovery to go on and someone to help him down it.
> 
> I love comments. I need fuel to write the next chapters. :D I hit one of those spots that happens every time, where I know where I'm going, but a piece is missing between here and there.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny makes his move!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit more fluff before it all hits the fan.

“Dawn, not so fast,” whimpered Sunny as they went around a corner in his car so tightly that he was sure he felt the wheels lift off the ground on one side. He was pressed up against his seat, seatbelt tight, bracing himself.

“I’ve got it!” Dawn laughed, hitting the brakes a little too hard. They were jolted forward, then going at a more reasonable speed.

Sunny grimaced, glancing out the passenger window, glad he hadn’t let her take the wheel until they were outside of town. He had given her lessons a few times before, and while she tried to drive correctly, Dawn got excited and hit the gas far too often.

The car sped up again down the lone road, with Sunny watching ahead to make sure nobody was coming, so he could warn her, just in case she didn’t see them coming. Dawn laughed as they zoomed down the road, then she slowed down, a little fast again, knowing a curve was coming up and she should slow down.

Dawn turned the corner gleefully, still going faster than necessary, but it was better than the last time. She was getting the hang of driving, she just wanted to go fast way too much.

Okay, that’s enough!” Sunny grinned as they came to a small stand of trees with an area to pull off the road. “Time to switch places, Dawn. You’re getting better, and I just thought of something you’re going to love!”

“Oh?” Dawn grinned, pulling the car to a smoother stop, just off the road. A cloud of dust kicked up around them, then she set the car into park and turned it off. 

“There’s a state fair in a city an hour away, and it’s next to an amusement park. I can take you on a whole bunch of roller coasters! I bet you’d love it!” Sunny opened the door and jumped out. “It’s in a month.”

“A month?” Dawn got out of the car, worrying her lower lip. “It might be too cold in a month, Sunny.” She walked around the front of the car, her step noticeably less energetic than usual.

“Too cold? I’ll buy you a coat!” Sunny met her in front of the car, and they leaned against the hood. Dawn frowned, her eyes immediately beginning to glisten.

“Sunny, I can’t fly very far when it gets cold.” Dawn sniffled.

“Oh…” Sunny moved to stand in front of her, putting his hands on hers, leaning forward to kiss her. Sitting on the hood of the car made it much easier for Sunny to kiss her, and she met him, her lips soft and eager against his.

For a few minutes, they simply kissed, then Dawn pulled back, sniffling again. “I will miss you, Sunny. I won’t be able to come back until the spring.”

Sunny took a deep breath, realizing now was probably the best time, given this information. He took a step back, lowering his head. “Dawn.” She looked at him curiously, running the back of her hand over her eyes as she slid off the hood of the car.

He shakily dropped to one knee, pulling the box out of his pocket and holding it up to her. “W’would you, Dawn, would…” and he lost his voice, staring at her, so beautiful in the sunlight, smiling sweetly at him. “Dawn?”

She giggled, leaning forward to fall into his arms. “Yes!”

“Y’you haven’t even looked at the ring!” Sunny exclaimed, catching Dawn and squeezing her tight.

“Oh, I don’t care about jewelry that much when I have the greatest treasure I could possibly have!” Dawn ran her fingers through Sunny’s hair, then kissed him passionately.

“How are we going to work this?” Sunny broke the kiss reluctantly. 

“Well, you’re going to have to come home and meet my father as soon as possible.” Dawn worried her lower lip, thinking it over. “I’m not sure what he’ll say, but he was okay with Bog, so hopefully he’ll be okay with you too.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to make anyone mad,” sighed Sunny cringing. “We better get the groceries to Bog. He hugged her again, and they kissed for a moment longer. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Bog grumbled, sitting in the kitchen, directing Marianne in the art of boiling eggs and telling Sunny where to put the groceries. Marianne insisted Bog sit and not do anything. She wasn’t confident in his ability to remain upright for longer than a few minutes at a time.

“So, you’re staying for a while?” Sunny stacked cans of vegetables in Bog’s pantry. “What about Dawn? Is she going to come by?” He added innocently.

Marianne leaned against the counter, eyeing Sunny. “It’s not a good idea, Sunny. I like you, but Dawn needs to remain at home. She’s too immature to handle the responsibilities of the human world.”

Okay,” Sunny stated sadly. He stacked a few more cans, then tilted his head in Marianne’s direction. “What are you going to do with Bog? Are you going to stay in the fairyland or here?”

“That’s up to Bog,” replied Marianne. “We can go back and forth, of course… until winter.”

“What happens in the winter?” Bog leaned on his elbow, looking at Marianne curiously.

“Well, during the winter, we fairies stay inside our home,” Marianne began explaining. “I live in the castle, other fairies live underground, in the trees, or rocks. We don’t’ tolerate the cold well.”

“What about the fairies in my garden?” Bog dropped his hands into his lap. “Where do they go?”

“They’re my people now.” Marianne smiled at Bog. “Some of them have made homes in other places in the kingdom, a few in my castle, and they have built homes in the trees near your garden. You’ll see them when I take you home with me to meet my father.”

“Can I come, Marianne?” Sunny inquired eagerly, folding the now empty, cloth paper bags. 

“I don’t know.” Marianne stared at him. “Maybe not this time. I’m going to have a problem with Bog as it is since he won’t have wings, and neither will you.”

“Oh.” Sunny couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“I’m sure we can get help from the fairies in the garden.” Marianne smiled at Sunny. “You’ve been so good to Bog and the fairies.”

“You need to make an ice bath for the eggs.” Bog checked the time on the clock on the wall.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Taking care of someone was a new experience for Marianne. She had no idea how to cook, and Bog had to tell her how to do everything. He ate worryingly little food for the first few days, mostly juice, water, tea, and a boiled egg for the first two. Then he worked up to plain chicken brother, boiled eggs, pieces of fruit, nibbling throughout the day.

It took a week before Bog was moving around and making larger meals for both of them, finally beginning to look more like a person and less like a walking skeleton. He was uncomfortable with Marianne seeing him without a shirt on or touching him because he noticed she was checking to see how he was doing.

“Mom’s going to be here tomorrow,” stated Bog, sitting next to Marianne on his comfortable couch. She was listening to music and shifted to lean against him, a smile on her face. “She’s going to be surprised.”

“How are you feeling, Bog?” Marianne snuggled into him, sliding her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

“Better.” He smiled at her, putting his arms around her and turning to kiss her on the top of her head. “I’m sorry this has been a dull week.” Bog kissed her again, his arms still shaking as he tightened his hold briefly. “I wish I’d stop doing that.”

“The shaking?” Marianne pressed her fingers lightly into Bog’s side. “I’m sure it’ll go away eventually. And I’m not bored or anything. I’m with you.”

“That’s nice of ye.” Bog turned enough to lay down, with his head resting on the cushions on one side of the couch. Marianne laid down with him, moving so she was face to face, pushing herself up against him. 

“I love you,” Marianne whispered in between kisses, careful not to carry it on too long. In Bog’s physical state, too much physical activity took its toll. He was recovering but had a tendency to pass out for a few minutes after a few minutes of just kissing. They weren’t getting much further than that, and Marianne wouldn’t push him.

“I love ye too,” murmured Bog, squeezing her gently against him. “Thank ye for being here for me.”

“In a few days, I think you’ll be ready to come with me to the fairy kingdom and stay for a little while. My father might be able to heal you more than I can.” Marianne closed her eyes, snuggling up against Bog so that her face was against the warmth of his chest, pressed into the front of his t-shirt. 

“I think I’ll be ready.” Bog shifted just enough so that his chin rested on Marianne’s head, his hands stroking casually over her back and shoulders, then he ventured all the way down, wanting to feel as much of her body as possible beneath his trembling fingertips. Marianne made a delightful moaning sound against his chest as he reached her rear.

“Probably shouldn’t do that,” Marianne giggled. “Not saying I don’t like it, just that it’s not a good idea. When we make love, I would prefer that you be awake the entire time and not pass out.”

“Fairies don’t do anything weird when they make love, do they?” Bog had to ask, sliding his hands back up, crossing them behind her back. His face turned red at just asking the question. “Just curious.”

“Uh, I wouldn’t know what weird is?” Marianne scrunched up her face in thought. “Do humans do anything weird when they make love?”

“Well, we’re using the same term, so I’m guessing it’s going to be pretty much the same thing?” Bog made a face, not sure why he even went there. “I, uh, don’t have any experience in this. It was a stupid question.”

“I don’t think it was stupid at all. I guess we’ll find out at some point.” Marianne laughed, snuggling into his chest. “Not soon, of course. There’s no rush.”

“Yeah, just as long as there’s no weird tentacle thing going on.” Bog made a face. “Do we need to go onto the internet and look at pictures?”

“Ew, no, what do you think I am? Some kind of sea creature?” Marianne laughed, rolling over, so her back was to him. “Hey, wait, you’ve seen me naked. I look exactly the same in body as a fairy as I do as a human. I’m just missing my wings, so I suspect there’s probably nothing weird going on with you compared to fairy men.”

“I hope not, and I didn’t see ye that well,” grumbled Bog, nestling his face into Marianne’s neck. “It’s going to be bad enough to have ye see me naked at any point.” He groaned. “Not looking forward to it, and I can’t believe I’m even talking about it with ye.”

“Seems like it would be a natural conversation to have with someone you know you’re going to get married to,” Marianne laughed, amused with the conversation, even if it was embarrassing. “Because of what I’ve already been through, I’d prefer to wait until we’re married. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I’d prefer it. I’ll have my father perform the ceremony when you meet him. There’s no need for a big wedding. I’m over that. It was fun right up until it wasn’t, and I don’t believe it’s necessary. My memories need to be of you, not stressful months of planning another wedding that’s more for everyone else than us.”

“Ugh, didn’t even think about being stared at by a bunch of people I don’t know,” Bog groaned into her hair, closing his eyes. “Please, let’s avoid that. I just want ye, Marianne.”

“We’ll still have to have a royal wedding,” sighed Marianne. “But I’ll have Dawn take care of it. She’s gifted with things like that.” She smiled, hearing Bog’s breathing suddenly become steady as he stopped moving. “I love you, Bog.” Marianne closed her eyes, a smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep in the most comfortable place she could imagine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how loopy that last half might be. I've had a migraine for the last three days. It should be gone tomorrow, but makes my vision very blurry. :D Also that conversation is silly. I considered deleting it and trying again. :D But I also liked how awkward it was. Bog's still recovering, but the next couple of chapters will have more of a normal Boggy, then we're going to the Fairy Kingdom.... *evil laugh*


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week later, a much healthier Bog prepares to go into the Fairy Kingdom with Marianne while Sunny wrestles with his secret and the fact Dawn has not returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because this chapter is short, a second chapter will go up soon.  
Excuse my error - I had a migraine while writing this and couldn't see my screen for a lot of it.

“Will the cold affect you if you’re human during the winter?” Bog was full of questions the next morning as he slid an omelet in front of Marianne. “I mean, more than normal? Is it dangerous? Do you need to stay inside all the time, no matter what? Are ye going to want to stay here at my house, or should I plan on staying in yer castle?”

“I don’t think it’ll bother me if I stay here. I don’t leave as it is.” Marianne smiled, picking up the fork to dig into the cheese-covered omelet. “I thought that I could stay with you over the winter.”

“I would like that.” Bog tossed more vegetables into the pan and began cracking eggs into a bowl. “Hmm… wait, do I become a prince when we get married? Wow, I’d be such an ugly prince.”

“Prince Bog,” giggled Marianne, her spirits lifted with Bog’s apparent good mood. “Yes, I believe you do. Then eventually, you’ll be King Bog King!” She broke into a laugh.

“That is funny,” chuckled Bog, whisking the eggs with a little too much excitement. Then he stopped and turned to Marianne, tilting his head curiously, “Uhm, out of curiosity, can a fairy and a human have kids? Do ye even want them?”

“There are stories that say they can and have.” Marianne smiled, enjoying her cheesy omelet. “If there’s even a drop of fairy blood in a human, they will be a fairy when they cross over from the human world to the fairy one, and yes, someday, I would like a child or two, if you’re uh, wanting that too?”

“Yeah.” Bog nodded with a smile, half closing his eyes at the thought. “I would like that, Marianne.”

“Since you’re already a guardian to the fairies, I thought that maybe you should continue in that role.” Marianne drank half the glass of chocolate milk in front of her. “The people are so grateful for all you’ve done. They’ll welcome you, and with you living in the human world, you have connections we would never have, like, keeping us all safe.”

“Yeah.” Bog was quiet for a few minutes, smiling to himself at the thought of being so useful. “Have I told ye I love ye in the last five minutes?” 

“No, you haven’t,” stated Marianne, taking another bite of her omelet, smiling at his words.

“I love ye.” And he said it in a low, seductive tone, almost purring. “I love ye.” He slid his omelet onto a plate and danced to his chair, his movements jittery with far too much energy. “I think I’ve had too much coffee this morning.”

“Oh, by all means, say it again!” Marianne laughed, finishing off her chocolate milk. “I love hearing you say it, and I love you too!”

“Good grief, we’re really mushy today.” Bog laughed, digging into his omelet, his blue eyes almost glowing. “I used to think it was so gross.”

“It is! It’s disgusting!” Marianne began working on the last of her omelet, grinning at Bog across the table. 

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Griselda was startled when both Bog and Marianne answered the door and welcomed her inside. The old woman grinned at them, elated to see Marianne with her son. “You’re back!” She jumped forward and, with surprising speed, grabbed Marianne in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you, Marianne!”

“Yeah, we have news for ye, Mom.” Bog closed the door and smiled as Marianne hugged her back. “Big news.”

“I’m going to be a permanent resident,” chuckled Marianne.

“We’re getting married,” added Bog, waiting for his mother’s reaction.

“Oh, that’s wonderful! How are you going to go about doing that when she doesn’t exist in the human world?” Griselda let Marianne go to hug her son. He made a perplexed face at her, having not considered they probably needed to get married in both worlds.

“We’ll figure that out, but we’re going to her kingdom in a few days, and we will be married there.” Bog headed down the hall with Marianne and his mother close behind.

“Her father is okay with you?” Griselda inquired curiously, “That you’re a human?”

“He’s fine with everything. This is just a formality for Bog to meet him and hopefully heal him permanently.” Marianne began explaining. “Even if he can’t, I’ll be able to keep healing him so he can move normally.”

“I’m so happy to hear that.” Griselda smiled, then sighed, “Bog’s grandfather was not so understanding. He was so upset that his son married me, they never spoke after the wedding.”

“We don’t talk about him,” grumbled Bog. “If I ever met him, I’d have some choice words for him that are not for ladies’ ears.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

Something was wrong. Sunny couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong. The day he proposed to Dawn and dropped her off to go home to talk to her father was the last day he saw her. She promised to call him the next day to meet and celebrate their engagement.

But she didn’t call.

There were no calls, and now it was a week later, and Sunny was confused. Dawn was so happy when he proposed. Did she change her mind? Did her father object? Sunny sighed, pulling up to Bog’s house with the groceries Bog sent him out to purchase. He had been to Bog’s house almost every day, doing his regular routine of putting out food for the fairies and cleaning the pedestals. 

Something was going on with the fairies in the garden. They stayed in the trees when Sunny approached like they were afraid of something. It was strange when they had come close enough over the last months that Bog could identify them by their wings and had even given them names. None of them talked to him, of course, but they weren’t afraid of him. This worried him even more.

Worse, Sunny couldn’t ask Marianne about Dawn and let her know that they had been seeing each other for months. Surely nothing was wrong. Right? Sunny sighed heavily, getting out of his car to begin unloading the groceries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some cute fluff and distress from Sunny.  
Enjoy and have a good day of quarantine! :D


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day before Bog and Marianne plan to go to the Fairy Kingdom, Bog takes Marianne out on a date in another town, one where he won't run into any awful memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters were uploaded today!

Several days later, Bog whistled as he buttoned up a nice black shirt. They planned to go to the fairy kingdom in the morning, but first, Bog wanted to take Marianne out on a real date to a fancy restaurant in another town, a town where nobody would recognize him. He ran a hand across his chin, making sure he had done a thorough job shaving.

Satisfied, he ran his hands over his shirt one more time, checked his black slacks, then ran a hand through his hair. It was still long, down to his shoulders, but he had it brushed back. There would be time for a haircut another day. Right now, he wanted to take Marianne out to a fancy restaurant and see the harvest festivities the town was currently putting on. They would take a walk down a scenic riverwalk and test Bog’s stamina.

Bog left his room and found Marianne in the hallway, waiting for him. Her hair was as wild as usual, completely her. Bog froze in the doorway, eyes widening at what she wore. 

The dress was dark blue with tiny sequins on it that reflected the light like stars, and it was strapless, leaving Marianne’s shoulders and neck bare. It was almost floor-length, showing off her waist and hips and swishing around her legs. She wore black sandals beneath it and posed to show it off. As far as Bog was concerned, she had just stepped out of a fairy tale in that dress, and he was the luckiest man alive.

“What do you think?” Marianne turned, twirling, so the skirt flew around her, lifting up and away from her. It only went up a foot, but Bog was captivated by everything he could see.

“Ye are beautiful,” whispered Bog, stepping forward, his arm up. Marianne purposely fell against him, and he caught her. “I love ye, Marianne.” He squeezed her tight to him, then tilted his head to kiss her fully on the lips, passionately pressing in as she kissed back. Bog staggered back against the wall as Marianne turned in his arms, dragging her fingers up his back, purposely sending a little added sensation through his nerves that made him shiver.

“Too much?” she whispered, able to feel everything going on in his body with her touch. 

“While I’m standing, yes,” sighed Bog with a smile before returning to her lips for one more quick kiss. “Go easy on me,” he murmured. “Remember, I’m not a fairy, and I’m not used to that.”

The doorbell rang, breaking them up for the moment. “I wish we didn’t have to go in a car,” groaned Marianne.

“Sunny’s driving, so we can make out in the backseat the entire time,” growled Bog playfully, giving Marianne a wolfish smile.

=-=-=- 

Marianne hated riding in the car, but Bog provided an incredible distraction this time, kissing and touching her affectionately as much as their seat belts allowed. He held her hands, stroking his long fingers over her arms, kissing her bare shoulders, her neck, everywhere he could reach that wouldn’t be embarrassing if Sunny happened to look into his rearview mirror and see.

In less than twenty-four hours, they would be married, and that was when the real fun would begin. Marianne had no idea how that was going to go, but it would be a fun learning experience for both of them. Since neither of them had any experience, they would be on equal ground.

Before Marianne knew it, a very nervous Sunny opened the door for them to let them out in front of a well-lit restaurant. Bog got out first, then offered his hand to her, which she took, since getting out of the car without assistance would likely end up with her getting caught in her dress. Sunny closed the door, and Marianne noticed the young man had a look of worry on his face. Then he was gone.

There were so many people, and every one of them was dressed up at least as nice as she and Bog were. Many more wore far more extravagant dresses that would rival dresses she had worn to royal functions. Bog took her arm, leading her through the glass doors, while she took in the architecture and beautiful paintings hanging on every wall.

“Next time I take ye out, I’ll take ye to a museum,” stated Bog as they were escorted to their table. The columns were covered in veins, and Marianne couldn’t see the ceiling. Gold and white flowers spread above them in a net of tiny twinkling lights, giving the dining room the illusion of being outdoors at night. 

Their table had a beautifully carved candle in the middle with multiple glasses set up on it, along with two bottles of wine sitting in a crystalline bucket of ice. Bog pulled her chair out, and Marianne sat, grinning dumbly, overwhelmed.

“Do ye like it?” Bog settled into the chair across from her. “Ye haven’t said anything since we got out of the car.”

“It’s beautiful.” Marianne giggled, picking up the menu. She flipped it open and laughed, “It’s in French!”

“It’s in English on the other side,” chuckled Bog. “Do ye speak French?”

“Le français est l'une des premières langues que j'ai apprises à l'âge de six ans.” Marianne smiled as she spoke.

“I don’t speak French, but that’s really sexy.” Bog gave her a lopsided smile, flipping the menu over to the English side.

“French is one of the first languages I learned when I was six.” Marianne translated for him. “Do you have suggestions? I don’t know what most of this is.” She gestured to the menu.

“We’ll do the seven-course dinner for couples and just let them choose what we have.” Bog set his menu on the table to flag down a waiter.

=-=-=- 

Dinner began with glasses of champagne and four tiny round pieces of toast with a spread of cream, topped with a spoonful of caviar. The waiter explained every dish as he served it, listing the ingredients and the origins. The caviar was delicious, like nothing Marianne had ever tasted, smoky, smooth, and not at all salty like she would have assumed.

Next came a small bowl of french onion soup, then a moderate portion of salmon covered in a creamy sauce, followed by a medium-rare grilled steak. Bog and Marianne took their time, enjoying their food while talking about their families. 

A delicious, simple salad was served, and Bog poked at it with his fork, asking with a smile, “Would you like to travel? We don’t have to remain in my house all the time. We can go to France, Italy, Japan, Scotland, anywhere ye’d like to.”

“Really?” Marianne’s eyes grew wide at the thought. “Anywhere in the world? How long would that take?”

“As long as ye like. I’ve always wanted to see the world, but I never had anyone to see it with, and it just seems like it’d be more fun to do it with someone with my wife.” Bog reached across the table to put his hand on Marianne’s. “I can leave Sunny to take care of things while we’re gone. I trust him.”

“I like the sound of that.” Marianne gazed into Bog’s eyes.

A platter with an assortment of cheeses was placed on the table, and they both reached for a piece, ending up smacking their hands against each other’s. They laughed, and Bog motioned to the platter. “Ladies first.”

Chocolate mousse ended dinner, with Marianne lingering on the decadent dessert. Bog sat back with a smile, watching Marianne enjoy herself. He ended up giving her half of his, knowing how much she liked chocolate.

=-=-=- 

They were like any other couple, minding their own business, only existing for each other. Hand in hand, Bog, and Marianne strolled along the riverwalk, enjoying the romantic scenery. Fairy lights were wrapped around the trees and along with their limbs, lighting up their fall crowns. There was a gentle breeze and music all around them.

Everything was going well until Bog spotted a familiar face glaring at them from one of the small tables set up near the riverwalk.

Sam.

Sam was here with his buddies, and they were sitting at a table with a pitcher of beer. Of course, it would be Bog’s luck to want to get away from any possibility of running into him or any of the other people who hated Bog and run into them. Bog pretended not to see him, keeping his eyes ahead, pulling Marianne a little closer and kissing the top of her head.

Bog decided it was time to go. They had been out for hours, and if they remained in the area, it was likely Sam would try something, even with Marianne present. The last thing Bog wanted to do was get into a fight, and the urge was already rising in him to do just that, should Sam come anywhere near them.

There was one problem. They had to walk past Sam and his buddies to get to the exit they planned to meet Sunny at. Bog kept his eyes forward, shielding Marianne. “Ready to call it a night? We do have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Marianne leaned against him, a pleasant smile lighting up her face.

Bog kissed her again, still acting nonchalant. Talking, then the sounds of metal chairs scraping over concrete made the hair on the back of Bog’s neck rise. He heard their footsteps. Six men, dragging their feet a little. Bog and Marianne had a glass of champagne and shared a bottle of red wine between them over the course of dinner, but they were not inebriated like these men were.

“Bog,” Marianne whispered, glimpsing the men coming toward them. Her eyes narrowed, recognizing Sam, and she snarled. “It’s him.”

“Let’s not make a scene,” grumbled Bog. “Ignore them.”

Sam stepped directly in front of Bog, forcing him to stop and look at him. For a moment, Bog met his eyes, glaring at him, tightening his arm around Marianne. “Get out of our way,” growled Bog.

“We’re recording this,” chuckled Sam, “for legal reasons. You touch me, and I’ll press charges.”

“Get out of our way,” repeated Bog. “Marianne, don’t do anything.”

“How are you walking around like that?” Sam looked Bog up and down. “Last time I saw you, you were still hobbling around like a geriatric old man.”

“Revolutionary new homeopathic treatment.” Bog attempted to step forward, but Sam did not move, so now they were an inch apart. The other men stood around them, blocking every direction except the Riverwalk, and Bog did not want to go for a swim.

“Wow, you are beautiful.” Sam turned his attention to Marianne. “Why are you with him? Wouldn’t you rather spend the night with a real man?”

At that, Marianne smiled, squeezed Bog’s hand, then let it go. “You know what, you’re right. I do want to spend the night with a real man.” She held out her hand, and the look of surprise on Sam’s face that his words actually worked was priceless. 

“Marianne.” Bog scowled, having a suspicion of what was about to happen.

“Good choice.” Sam grinned at Bog, reaching for Marianne’s hand.

Marianne smiled, her eyes narrowing as Sam did exactly what she expected, leaning toward her. She grasped his wrist and used his forward momentum to pull him off balance as she swung a foot out to kick him in the shin. With a yelp, the heavyset man found himself redirected into the river, falling into the water headfirst.

Bog chuckled as Marianne wrapped her arm around Bog’s, taking a step forward now that their way was no longer blocked. The other five men rushed to the side of the riverwalk as Sam floundered in the water.

“It’s three-feet deep, moron,” Bog called out with a laugh. “And yer video shows ye provoking us, so it’s not grounds for any kind of lawsuit.” He grabbed Marianne around the shoulders as she laughed and slid her arm around him. Then they kissed, just so Sam could see them as his friends hauled him out of the water.

-=-=-=-

“No funny business or ye sleep alone tonight,” stated Bog as he prepared for bed. Marianne leaned against the wall, already in a nightgown, a simple pink one covered in white flowers. 

“We’ve been sharing a bed for over a week,” giggled Marianne.

“Yeah, and the only reason we haven’t done anything is the whole passing out thing, but I think yer healing’s finally got me out of that.” Bog sat on his bed, looking thoughtful. “I didn’t feel faint at any point tonight. Thank ye.”

Marianne grinned, walking across the room to stand in front of Bog, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning against him. He tilted his chin up to gaze up at her, pressed up against her chest. 

“You were awesome tonight,” chuckled Bog, wrapping his arms around her waist, mindful of where his hands and face were. He was tempted but pushed back lightly. “Tomorrow. Uhm, on second thought…”

“Tomorrow.” Marianne leaned forward to hug Bog, kissing him on the top of the head, something she usually wasn’t able to do. He rested his face against her shoulder for a moment. “I’ll sleep in your mom’s room tonight. Let’s make tomorrow special.”

“Every day is special when yer around,” mumbled Bog, tilting his head into Marianne’s neck and kissing her.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Marianne pulled away reluctantly. “And you’re mushy.”

“So mushy,” mumbled Bog. “I love ye.”

“I love you too,” whispered Marianne. They remained where they were for a few minutes before Marianne took a step back, “I’ll see you in the morning, Bog. Good night.”

“Good night.” Bog smiled, swinging his legs up onto his bed and leaning back into the pillows. “Go ahead and turn the lights off. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will get here.”

Marianne gave him one last smile, then turned off the light and walked down the hall. Bog sighed, listening to her footsteps and the sound of Brutus’ nails on the floor following her. His dog loved Marianne. And it was thanks to Brutus that he had her.

Bog sighed, closing his eyes, a smile on his face, feeling better than he had in his entire life. Tomorrow, he would marry the most beautiful, amazing woman he had ever met. He had a future to look forward to that was beyond anything he had envisioned in his wildest dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 42,000 words and 22 chapters written and I'm almost done with the story. I think it'll end at around 25 or 26 chapters, depending on how they deal with what I throw at them.  
Part of the reason I updated two chapters is that one was really short!  
The other reason is the next chapter begins turning everyone's worlds upside down!  
Have a good day, and as usual, leaving comments is nice, especially if you've never left one, and I see you.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marianne flies home and doesn't return, worrying Bog enough to go looking for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swapping Fairy Garden's update with Winter Wings, because I need to move some scenes around and need to be working on the things that feed my family. Fairy Garden has been completed btw! I've written the whole thing!

Sunrise didn’t come quickly enough. Bog was up, making Marianne a delicious breakfast of pancakes and sausage. He set the table with a large bottle of maple syrup and a tall glass of chocolate milk for Marianne. Bog sang while he cooked, thankful that while Marianne’s food preferences were broader than he initially thought they were. Her love of sugary sweet foods seemed to be part of her fairy biology. There was no way he would be able to easily tolerate living in her kingdom if he would be expected to eat to only eat sugar and fruit.

Thankfully, Marianne informed him they did eat a wide variety of foods when available, and it sounded like they were going to spend more time in the human world than the fairy one once they were married.

“Good morning.” Marianne stepped up behind Bog and slid her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his shoulder.

“Good morning to you too.” Bog flipped the pancake he was working on. “Sunny should be here soon.”

“Great, our plan should work out easy enough. After breakfast, I’ll fly home and bring back something decent for you to wear.” Marianne kept her arms around him as he moved, placing a few sausage patties on the plate that already had three pancakes piled on it for Marianne.

“You’re not going to watch me, are ye?” Bog’s cheeks turned red as he picked up the plate and turned in her arms, handing it to her. 

“At some point, you are going to have to be naked in front of me!” laughed Marianne taking the plate. “And I promise, it’s okay. I won’t look at you when Brutus crosses you over.”

Bog smiled, slipping the last pancake onto the remaining plate with a stack of pancakes on it. “Thank ye, Marianne.” He turned off the fire and took his plate to the table, sitting across from her. “Then Sunny can carry me just outside the gates, so nobody sees how I change, and it’s a much shorter journey to yer kingdom.”

“And you’re staying a few days.” Marianne smiled at Bog, enjoying the syrup-soaked piece of pancake she just put in her mouth. “I love pancakes.”

“Ye love anything soaked in syrup,” chuckled Bog.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Sunny showed up on time, wringing his hands as Bog let him inside. “Yer fine with staying over while I’m away?” Bog closed the door and walked after Sunny.

“I’m good.” Sunny glanced into the kitchen, Brutus at his heels begging to be petted. “Is she gone?”

“Left a few minutes ago.” Bog smiled as he spoke, “Said she’d be back in two hours at the most, more likely an hour.”

“Good. Good. We need to talk.” Sunny glanced around again, moving in a nervous crouch.

“Sunny, what’s up?” Bog frowned at his small friend’s gestures, not accustomed to seeing him look like this. “Ye’ve been acting odd for the last week.”

“I asked Dawn to marry me,” muttered Sunny.

“What?” Bog blinked, unsure if he heard what he thought he did. “Don’t mumble.”

“Dawn and I have been seeing each other since you sent Marianne away! Every other day! Sometimes every day!” Sunny blurted it out, and Bog’s eyes widened with each word, his jaw-dropping. “I asked Dawn to marry me, and she said yes, but she went home over a week ago, the day Marianne came back, and she hasn’t come back since then, and I love her so much!” Then Sunny burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

Bog stared for a moment, then stepped forward to put his arms around his friend. “It’ll be okay. I’ll find out what happened, okay? We don’t need to say anything to Marianne. She’s going to be mad, and maybe there’s a good reason for why she hasn’t come back yet. Maybe it’s not what it looks like.”

“What if her dad doesn’t want her marrying a human. Maybe he’s okay with one of his daughter’s marrying a human, but not both of them!” Sunny wailed, having kept his fears in for so long.

“It will be okay, I’m sure of it.” Bog spoke encouragingly. Things were going so good. He hated to think that what Sunny said was true, that Marianne’s father might only happily have one daughter marry a human. Hopefully, there was more to it than that.

-=-=-=-=-=- 

An hour passed.

Three hours passed.

By two in the afternoon, Bog was worried, pacing around his back porch, searching for any sign of Marianne. She was nowhere to be seen, and more worryingly, he noticed the lack of fairy wings in the lower end of the garden. It was a warm fall day, and they should have been out in the trees like they usually were. There were no wings.

What was going on?

Bog scowled, glancing at his dog and Sunny, who sat behind him on a bench. “She should have returned hours ago. Sunny, I think we’re going to change plans. I don’t care who sees, let’s go.”

“Uh, where are we going?” Sunny rose to his feet, and Brutus followed after him.

“I have a suspicion that Brutus will only cross over people he likes from our world to theirs and back again, right, Brutus?” Bog glanced at his dog, who was trotting in front of him, as though he knew where they were going. “I’m going to assume that’s a yes.”

“We’re both going? But we don’t know where the castle is?” Sunny followed after Bog, wringing his hands.

“I think I know where it is and that Brutus might actually just take us there. Dogs have a sense of knowing what their owners need. I’ll tell him to find Marianne.” Bog was hopeful he was right as they reached the bottom of the garden. He unlocked the garden gate and passed through it. They would walk deeper into the forest that extended to one side of his yard, then into the field on the other hand. There were massive old trees and a giant rock out there that he had seen before.

As a child, Bog had wandered through the trees, but something always turned him away from that field with the rock in it. He could get within sight of it and all the colorful butterflies, but he had never been able to get right up to it. Now, he understood, that was the fairies’ castle. It had some kind of field around it that turned away human eyes.

Bog stopped at the edge of the trees, spotting the rock in the distance. He kneeled beside his dog with Sunny on the other side. “Put yer hand on Brutus’ head. I have no idea how this works.” The dog panted happily, wiggling his stump with excitement. “We’re going to want to ride him out there. Okay, Brutus. Make us small. Take us to Marianne.”

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Everything went dark.

Bog groaned as his dog licked his face, then sighed, opening his eyes to stare up at the trees overhead. It didn’t work. Bog sighed and just laid there, wondering what happened. He felt weird, and his back was on fire.

“B’bog?” Sunny’s voice came from nearby, and Bog pushed himself into a sitting position, wiping his hand over his face.

“Sunny? What happened?” Bog dropped his hand and looked for Sunny, his vision blurring.

“Oh, it is you!” Sunny shouted excitedly, then added mournfully, “Uhm, you’re not going to like this, Bog.”

“Sunny?” Bog turned, and when he did, he swung his arm out in front of his eyes, cried out in shock, and tried to get away from whatever it was that was moving in front of him. He scrambled back, that same sensation of fire in his shoulder blades rippling through him, followed by a rustling sound.

“Bog!” Sunny ran toward him. “Don’t freak out! Stay still!” Brutus bounced around Sunny’s feet, barking.

Breathing hard, Bog lifted his hands and stared at them, curling his now long and gnarled fingers, the tips ending in hard, jagged nails. He began running his hands over his arms, feeling the armored plating. Bog’s mouth dropped open, nails tapping over his shoulders and the massive armored structures rising over them.

He tapped his chest, feeling the layered plates of more armor, and the stiff collar around his neck, then he touched his face and growled, hitting sharp thorns here and there set into his even more rigid face. “What?” Bog’s hands rose to his head, running over prickly scales. “I should be naked…” he squeaked.

“Duuuude, you have wings! I think you’re a fairy of some kind!” Sunny stood in front of him, with a piece of leaf held strategically in front of him. “You look like you, but not you!”

“What is going on?!” Bog stood shakily and looked himself over, and the first thing that came to mind was a very simple question. “How do I pee?”

Sunny shrugged. “Maybe you don’t?”

“I’m even uglier as a fairy!” Bog groaned, turning his arm so he could look at himself better. “I can’t believe this! Marianne’s not going to want anything to do with this!” He gestured to himself. 

Sunny scooped Brutus into his arms, still trying to remain somewhat decent. “I wonder why Brutus shrunk with us.”

“I’m hideous!” Bog looked at his feet. He had always had big feet, but now they looked monstrous and unnatural.

There was no time to react as the bushes around them erupted with creatures emerging from the forest, massive creatures covered in pebbled skin with mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. More creatures ran with them, swarming around Bog and knocking him off his feet. Then the fairies arrived, dropping out of the trees in gleaming green armor, heading for the other creatures.

“Run, Sunny!” Bog shouted, trying to fight off the creatures as they grabbed him and carried him into the bushes, a few of the fairy warriors going for them with swords flashing.

Sunny took off in the opposite direction, not wanting to be near any of the creatures or fairies when he didn’t have any protection at all. Brutus barked and snarled, trying to get free as Sunny ran. Several of the fairies broke off and pursued the short naked human through the grass, shouting at him.

“You there! Surrender!” One shouted, effortlessly flying faster than Sunny could hope to run. One fairy dropped in Sunny’s path, flaring his wings, sword up in threat. Sunny yelped and turned aside to find another fairy blocking that route. He kept turning, hopefully, while Brutus barked in his arms. A third fairy blocked him, wings flared out.

“What are you? Some kind of tall elf? Why are you naked? And what is that thing?” The three fairies held their swords out, coming closer. “Make it shut up!”

Sunny whimpered, clamping his hand over Brutus’ muzzle. “I’m a friend of Princess Dawn’s!”

“Oh, really?” One of the soldiers laughed. “King Roland is going to love this! Finally, bait to get that nasty little princess out into the open!”

Sunny whimpered again, eyes wide at the trio of fairies, then there were more wings, brightly colored wings speeding through the grass around them. There was a thud of something heavy hitting one of the soldiers, who staggered back and crashed to the ground. More fairies were circling the soldiers, half a dozen of them, dressed in green and blue armored plating, one in red. They were a blur of color, darting in with swords and engaging the remaining two fairy soldiers.

Then the one in red flew at Sunny and stood in front of him, covering him with her wide peach and gold wings. “Sunny?” She called back, sword held up in front of her as the two soldiers took wing and fled. “Sunny!” It was Dawn’s voice coming out of the fox shaped helmet.

“Dawn!” Sunny shouted happily, then he remembered he was naked and shifted how he was holding Brutus, his face turning bright red. “I’m so glad to see you!”

“Me too, now, let’s get out of here before the rest of them realize we’re here!” Dawn turned and fluttered back a few steps, motioning to one of her bigger companions to grab Sunny.

“What is going on!” Sunny called out to Dawn as a fairy grabbed him under the arms and lifted him into the air.

“Be quiet, Sunny! I’ll explain when we get to our lair!” Dawn replied back, then giggled. “Can you believe it, I have a lair!”

Sunny scrunched up his face at her, then glanced down to watch the ground speeding by beneath them.

-=-=-=-=-=-

The fairies flew for several minutes, close to the ground, then they flew up a massive tree trunk and began cautiously making their way through the canopy. When they were sure no one was following, they arrived at a massive old oak tree and passed through a small passage up high in the trunk.

From there, the fairies dropped down a series of gaps in the bark that were barely big enough for one fairy to pass through at a time. Finally, they dropped into the root of the tree, that opened into a large cavern full of fairies, in and out of armor. Most were unarmed, going about their business, transporting cold food among them, and holding conversations. Sunny was carried after Dawn into a small secluded hollow near the roots.

Dawn strode through a curtain with the fairy carrying Sunny and Brutus close behind. “You can put him down here, he’s a friend.” Dawn instructed the soldier as she removed her helmet and set it on a rough-hewn table. He bowed as he set Sunny down, then backed through the curtain.

“Dawn, what’s going on?” Sunny glanced around. None of this was what he had been told the fairy kingdom was like. This was not what Dawn had described her room to be like.

“I’m the leader of the resistance!” Dawn announced, picking up a brown blanket and looking it over. “Not by choice, but Marianne wasn’t available, so they looked to me.”

“What happened?” Sunny stared up at his girlfriend, overwhelmed by how she looked and what was going on. She put the blanket around his shoulders.

“The day I returned home, I didn’t get all the way home,” Dawn stated sadly, pulling up a chair, motioning for Sunny to sit in one of the other ones. He put Brutus down and wrapped the blanket around him better as they sat. “I was met by soldiers who tried to catch me. I had no idea what was going on, then soldiers still loyal to my family intervened and rescued me. Since then,” Dawn groaned, “I’ve had to do something that Marianne’s more suited for.” She ran a hand through her wild blonde hair, which looked even more disheveled than usual.

“I’m not sure if I should be happy or even more freaked out,” squeaked Sunny. “I was so worried when you didn’t come back, Dawn.”

“We’ll be okay. Where’s Bog and Marianne?” Dawn inquired hopefully. “I couldn’t get past the guards that were posted all around the house to warn her.”

“Oh. No.” Sunny groaned, “Marianne went home early this morning and didn’t return, that’s why Bog and I came into the forest on our own. Bog got carried away by some weird creatures.”

Dawn clapped her hands over her mouth. “Goblins? It must have been goblins! I’m not sure what they would want with Bog, but I doubt they'll hurt him. I’ll go let my scouts know they need to look for Bog and Marianne. Maybe she wasn’t captured.” Dawn rose quickly an headed for the curtain. “I’ll find you something to wear too!” Then she detoured, running back to Sunny to kiss him quickly. “I love you, Sunny!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, what I know we all saw coming, hehe. :D Bog's bewilderment is a lot of fun, especially since it only gets worse from here.
> 
> I had THREE options of what happens to Bog, but all three options did start with him getting grabbed by goblins and being carried away into the Dark Forest. 
> 
> Dawn leading a resistance in her own way, hehe. I loved the idea of Dawn actually knowing what to do, because she's obviously had the same training as Marianne, the same teaching and preparation, she's just not interested in it, until it's needed.
> 
> Comment away!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog makes a shocking discovery and so does Marianne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have broken my story. :/ Last week, I went in to edit it and thought the date was wrong and changed it to the current day... then realized it was for the whole story and not the chapter. I fixed it and now today... it's not showing the right date, so uploading a second chapter to see if that will make it date right! If not, I already sent a note to support and you get this chapter. :D

Bog fought against the goblins as they carried him through the forest, further and further away into the darkness. “Let me go!” He yelled at them, swore at them, kicking and struggling. If one let go, another was quickly in their place. They were chattering amongst themselves in their growly language, sounding very pleased.

There were too many of them, and they were strong for their small size. Larger goblins moved along the sides, traveling quickly over the rough terrain. Suddenly, Bog found himself staring up into the gaping maw of some long-dead creature. He gaped at the curving fangs, then in a few more minutes, he was carried through halls and into a massive open room lit by nets of spiked amber globes.

The goblins turned and dropped him unceremoniously on the hard ground. He yelped and laid there for a moment, unsure of what to do. The goblins swarmed back, forming a circle.

“What did ye bring me today?” A voice boomed through the cavern, and Bog pushed himself up quickly, prickling sensations rising up the back of his neck. He found himself looking up at a shadowed bone throne, and bright blue eyes peering from a shadowed face. “Kinkaed?” The figured moved quickly, rising upright, brandishing a scepter in his right hand, a fearsome-looking staff with an ornate amber stone centered in its headpiece. “No, ye are not Kinkaed.”

The form passed into a beam of light, and Bog stared, realizing that the person addressing him, looked exactly like he looked at the moment, a towering, slender creature with broad shoulders, covered in bark-like armor and scaling. Only, he was a little bigger and heavily scarred. His wings were rustling softly behind him as the goblins parted to let him pass.

“Father?” Bog stared at him.

“Bogdan?” The fairy standing before him gasped, looking taken aback. “I’m not yer father,” He lowered his head, the light glinting off a gold crown that encircled his head. “I’m the one yer named after.” He sighed, turning his head aside, a look of shame crossing his face. “How, how did ye get here? What are ye doing here?”

Bog rose to his feet, the realization hitting him. This was why his mother suggested he go to the fairy kingdom. The words he wanted to say ended up locked in his throat. Grandfather. This was his grandfather, the one who he had never met, and his father never spoke of, except a few rare times. Those few conversations came back in a flood, the look of sadness on his father’s face as he spoke fondly of his own father. 

He wanted to swear at him, yell, tell him what an awful man he was to cut off all ties with his son. And he lived in Bog’s backyard. Over all these years, his grandfather lived within half a mile of his house. He had so many questions for him and even more for his mother.

“Ye know my name,” stated Bog, breaking the silence. “My mom said ye never talked to my father after they were married.”

The older Bog scowled, sweeping a hand out to his goblins. “Leave. I need to have a conversation with my grandson in private.” Obediently, the goblins left the throne room, leaving the younger Bog facing his grandfather.

In the few minutes it took for the goblins to leave, Bog watched his grandfather slowly breaking, his shoulder plates rising, his face drawn tight with sadness, eyes gleaming. He was shaking, and before Bog could do anything, the bigger fairy was on him, his staff falling to the floor with a reverberating clang, sobbing heavily as he grabbed him around the shoulders.

“I am so sorry. I made a mistake, and there was no way to fix it. I visited frequently, watched ye grow up through the window in yer room. Yer dad always left it open just right for me. I watched over ye in yer yard.” Bog froze, not sure what to do, his own emotions welling up with confusion. Grandfather. He was the only member of his father’s side of the family he had ever met, and now he realized why. Bog also had an assumption about why his grandfather had been upset about his son leaving him.

“Are ye the only one?” Bog whispered, wanting an answer before he said anything else.

“Aye, it’s why I was heartbroken when yer father left me to live in the human world instead of bringing his bride here.” His grandfather began explaining through sobs. “I apologize. I never thought this day would happen, that ye would come here.”

“But why didn’t you just come and see us? My father was never mad at ye.” Heat began welling up behind Bog’s eyes, a strong connection of familiarity bursting through him. “He named me after ye, he loved ye so much.”

The elder Bog pulled back, smiling at Bog through a tear-streaked face, clapping him on the shoulders firmly. Then he let go and turned away. “When yer father left, he rejected himself, and he rejected me to be with a human woman. He rejected his entire life, and he was ashamed of it. Ye see yer father tried to court the local fairies when we were invited to their festivals and balls.”

Bog stared at his grandfather’s back, watching his wings quiver. “Kinkaed was persistent. I watched him get turned down by woman after woman. He might get a few words in, but none of them would look at him, they found him so repulsive. His mother tried to encourage him, and I stood back and watched, knowing it would never happen. A pretty field fairy would never want one of us when they had so many other eligible men to choose from.”

“He never told me about things like that. Dad never even mentioned he was a fairy at all,” Bog stated.

“Aye, doesn’t surprise me.” The elder Bog grumbled, retrieving his staff from the floor. “Why would he? Ye were never meant to come back here. It’s a dead end.” He sighed. “I was selfish for wanting yer father to remain here, to die alone with me.” His grandfather went quiet for a moment, lowering his head. “What happened to yer father? I know he passed.”

“He died protecting my mom and me from a thug, a guy with a gun,” sighed Bog. “I miss him.”

“Aye, so do I.” The elder Bog went silent again for a few minutes, face twitching with remorse. “It’s not good to let someone go without being able to tell them yer sorry.”

“Grandfather?” Bog reached out, unable to stop himself. “Ye can come to the human world any time and stay with me, me and Marianne.” He gasped. “Oh no, Marianne!”

Bog’s grandfather turned with a curious look on his face. “Ye would welcome me?”

“I would,” Bog stated nervously, “but I need to get to the fairy castle immediately.” He took a deep breath, thinking about what his grandfather just told him about the neighboring fairies. “I was supposed to marry Princess Marianne today!”

Grandfather Bog’s eyes shot open wide. “Yer kidding?! Ye managed to meet and court a fairy princess?! She doesn’t know about this, does she?” He motioned to Bog’s entire body.

“I hope that doesn’t matter,” groaned Bog. “She went home and was supposed to come back but didn’t, so I used my dog to come after her!”

“A dog?” The elder Bog made a face. “Bog, let me tell ye a little secret. We don’t need dogs or fairy circles to pass from the fairy world to the human world and back again.”

Bog stared at his grandfather. “That might come in handy.”

“It’s how yer dad met yer mother,” sighed the elder Bog. “And unfortunately, ye may have a difficult time finding yer princess. The current king was overthrown a little over a week ago, and his soldiers have been all over my forest, causing problems for my people.”

“Can ye help me?” Bog looked at his grandfather, hoping he would.

“Aye, I will do what I can. Have ye tried to fly?”The elder Bog ran his hand over his chin.

“No, I haven’t, and I got an even more important question for ye, Grandfather.” Bog made a face, hating to even have to ask. “Uh, assuming we have the standard, kinda human biology… how do we pee? Because I need to go.”

The elder Bog cracked an amused smile, then began laughing.

-=-=-=-=-

Marianne breathed hard, finding a spot high up in the trees to catch her breath and rest. She had attempted to get back to Bog’s house three times now and was turned back by fairy soldiers each time. She didn’t even get all the way to the castle before they set after her, immediately alerting her that something was wrong. 

Now, Marianne was deep in the unknown depths of the dark forest, the east side of Bog’s yard. Whatever was going on at home was bad, and she couldn’t trust any of the fairies in armor. She sighed, realizing she might have someone she could go to. The castle of the Bog King wasn’t far away. She had never been there, but she had met the towering king before.

The Bog King had brought gifts for her and her sister on the days they were born and each following birthday, simply being friendly to his neighbors. They were always nice gifts, simple, but things she remembered. A couple times of year, he accepted the occasional invitations to attend festivals. He was nothing like them, but was always polite and reserved, keeping to himself and appreciating that both Marianne and Dawn would spend a little time chatting with him, fascinated by his kingdom.

Still, she didn’t really know him. Marianne considered that the fairy soldiers did not fly too far into the forest, meaning that they were not working with the goblins. She could seek shelter, get information, possibly figure out a way to get to Bog’s house. With a sigh, Marianne decided to go immediately. She dropped out of the tree and set off for the Bog King’s castle.

-=-=-=-=- 

Bog was relieved that he still had all his parts, although his grandfather’s amusement was not welcome as he instructed him. The elder Bog began going over the physical differences between their type of fairy and humans, which was minimal. He also let him know that fairy males were exactly the same as humans. His grandfather appeared to be well learned and eager to talk to his grandson about anything he had questions about.

“I have my goblins scouting the area, looking for signs of yer girl,” stated the elder Bog after talking to several small goblins in their own language. “If she’s still free, they’ll find her and hopefully contact her to come here. There’s a force of fairy rebels on the west side of yer land, led by Princess Dawn.”

Bog gaped at that news. “Princess Dawn, that bubbly little blond princess who doesn’t have a care in the world… is leading a resistance?”

“Aye, those princesses are a force to be reckoned with,” chuckled his grandfather. “Just because something looks cute and soft, doesn’t mean it remains that way when things turn. Their mother was a warrior, so both of her daughters would certainly follow in her footsteps.” He added in a laugh, “I gave them swords for their 16th birthdays! Oh, the look on their father’s face!”

“So ye know them?” Bog followed his grandfather through the halls.

“Aye,” the elder Bog stated.

An out of breath goblin came running up to them, chattering in their growly language. Grandfather chuckled, his eyes gleaming as he turned to Bog after sending the goblin off. “Guess what, Bog, Marianne’s safe, and she’s here. Keep yer mouth shut, and let’s see what she thinks of ye before ye tell her who ye are.”

“I should tell her immediately,” groused Bog.

“No, ye wait,” grunted the elder Bog. “Be patient.”

-=-=-=-=- 

Relieved, Marianne paced around the Bog King’s mostly empty throne room. A few goblins were passing through, and they assured her that the Bog King was on his way. She went over what she needed to say, first of all, needing to seek refuge with him, then she needed his help.

She was startled when the Bog King entered the throne room flanked by a slightly smaller version of himself. In all the years she had known him, there had only been one Bog King, the last of his kind in the forest. Her father had told her that he had a wife and a son once, long before she was born, and had lost both of them.

“Bog King.” Marianne immediately lowered her head to them, letting her wings fall behind her loosely.

“Princess Marianne, it’s good to see ye, although I suspect yer reason for being here is anything but a cordial visit.” The Bog King spoke, returning the bow politely. “What do ye need?”

“I need to retake my kingdom, sir.” Marianne went straight to the point. “I need to get to the human house and let my boyfriend know what happened to me before he does something stupid.”

“Ye got a house fairy in there?” The Bog King smirked, raising an eye ridge at the statement, wanting to hear her say it.

“Bog, the human man who lives there,” her voice trailed off as though a realization hit her, staring into the Bog King’s eyes, bright blue eyes, eyes the same as her Bog’s. Then she looked at the very nervous, slightly smaller copy of the Bog King standing next to him. “Bog King. His name is Bog King.” She stated to herself, scrunching up her face.

“I see those gears working,” chuckled the Bog King.

“Bog?” She stared uncertainly at the shorter one.

“Aye?” The Bog King tilted his head.

“Yes?” Bog whispered tentatively. “I think I kinda already did something stupid.”

“Bog!” Marianne shrieked and flew at him, hitting him hard around the chest, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him wildly.

“So ye did snag yerself a fairy princess,” chuckled the elder Bog as his grandson’s wings fluttered on their own volition to help keep him upright.

“Yer okay with this?” Bog murmured, kissing her back, being careful of his claws as he held her.

“Hah! You’re a fairy!” Marianne laughed excitedly. “You’re a fairy!” She didn’t seem to be able to get over it, tears glistening on her cheeks.

“But I’m not a pretty fairy,” grumbled Bog, holding her tightly.

“I love you! I don’t care if you’re whatever you are! I love you.” She rested her head against his neck, taking a moment to just be happy.

“That is sweet,” chuckled the elder Bog. “I now declare ye husband and wife, Prince Bog, Princess Marianne. That’s the best I can do for now, since ye were supposed to get married today. Now, I believe we need to make contact with yer sister, Dawn. We have a war to wage.”

“Oh, yer going to love what yer sister is doing!” laughed Bog, turning in a circle with Marianne in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My three options for when Bog got captured by the goblins.  
1\. The goblins declare him their king and give him his staff. :D That one was far too darn easy.  
2\. He finds out this is where his father vanished off to. Also, possibly a little predictable.  
3\. There sits a very sad, forlorn Bog King, Bog's grandfather who lives in his backyard and is just being constantly eaten away by being alone after his only son abandoned him. There were never any real big arguments between him and his son about his choice, he just didn't come back one day and the elder Bog never tried to make real contact with him, just feeling abandoned. He's actually a good person, on good terms with the neighboring fairies and even invited to their celebrations. I have head canon in the 50's he and Dagda went around in the human town hitting on girls. :D Leather jackets, white t-shirts and jeans.
> 
> The elder Bog, waves hand: Ok, yer married, because I say yer married.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny has to deal with his new reality and so does Bog.

Sunny sighed in relief, glad the fairies found him a set of simple overalls, a blue shirt, and a pair of soft boots. At least he was dressed now. “Okay,” Sunny called out to Dawn, stepping out from behind the curtain that hung over the small cubby she used for a closet in her rudimentary lair.

“Is that better?” Dawn inquired, clasping her hands in front of her and leaning down to kiss her shorter boyfriend. She still wore her armor, the crimson suit a little big on her and obviously not made for a woman’s body. Sunny knew she was strong, much stronger than she looked, and it made her amazingly, even more, attractive than she already was.

“Much better, although it doesn’t improve the situation, does it?” Sunny lingered on her lips as she carefully slid her arms over his shoulders.

“Oh, it improves it for me!” Dawn laughed, then took a deep breath, nibbling on her lower lip. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I had to learn our history and battles and stuff, and I was trained to fight, but this was all stuff my sister was better at.”

“Have you actually had to fight?” Sunny hugged her tightly, as tightly as he could with all the armor plating around her body. He wished she could be regular Dawn, sweet, happy, and carefree.

“I have,” sighed Dawn closing her eyes. “I had to fight several soldiers, and they didn’t hurt me, but it wasn’t fun.” She sniffled, then the tears came. “Sunny, I don’t know what happened to my father. We’ve been trying to work up plans to attack the castle and take it back, but we haven’t succeeded.”

“I’m sorry,” stated Sunny sympathetically. “I wish I could help.” Brutus snorted, reminding them he was there.

“Why is Brutus so little?” Dawn inquired curiously.

“I have no idea. Maybe he used up all his energy by bringing Marianne over, then Bog and I?” Sunny kneeled to motion for the dog to come closer. Brutus barked and bounced forward, wiggling his butt back and forth excitedly. “Maybe he has to recharge?”

“Hmm.” Dawn looked at the dog thoughtfully. “You know, if you could be big, you could provide a really good distraction, and you could also take out a lot of the guards.”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure if Brutus can make me big again anytime soon. I have no idea how this works.” Sunny grumbled, picking Brutus up and rubbing him between the ears.

Dawn grinned suddenly. “I think I know someone who might have answers!”

-=-=-=-=- 

“As far as I know, yer father is alive,” stated the elder Bog, leading his grandson and Marianne through a long hallway. “My goblins have not reported any signs of him. If he were killed, it would have incensed even the most loyal of Roland’s followers.”

Marianne rolled her eyes and groaned. “Roland. Of course, it would be Roland. Do you know what happened, Bog…” She made a face at the older Bog. “The two of you having the same name is going to get confusing.”

“You may call me Grandfather,” smiled the elder Bog. “I… would like that, Marianne.”

“You always seemed like a wise grandfather.” Marianne gave him an affectionate smile. “You were always good to my sister and me.”

“Yer father and mother were always good to me.” The Bog King bowed his head. “When I lost my wife, yer father was there for my son and me when I needed a friend. As for what happened, a military coup. Roland has most of your army following him, but few citizens.”

Bog ran the back of his hand over his eyes, up until then, not saying anything, just listening. His wife knew his grandfather better than he did, and he felt awful for the things he had often thought about his missing side of the family.

They stopped in front of an ornate door. “This was yer father’s room, Bog. I haven’t touched anything in it since he left.” He motioned further down the hall. “That is my room. I am making preparations. The two of ye should rest. I apologize for the dust, but I will have my goblins bring up new bedding shortly. Until then…” He lowered his gaze on Marianne with an amused, knowing smirk spreading over his face. “Teach Bog how to fly, why don’t ye? Distract each other, and do not worry.”

Bog made a face at his grandfather as Marianne giggled and wrapped her arm around his. “Wouldn’t ye be a better teacher? We have the same kind of wings.”

“Doesn’t matter.” His grandfather shrugged, turning away from him and flaring his wings out. “Wings are just another appendage like an arm, ye just have to remember they are there and use them. We fly by instinct.”

“He didn’t mean teach you to fly literally, Bog,” Marianne whispered as they turned to the door. “He meant something else entirely.”

“Oh.” Bog felt heat rise over his face quickly. “Oh.” His grandfather did declare they were married, and that’s why he brought them to a place they could have privacy, to be distracted. Bog swallowed so hard, he was sure Marianne heard it, a tremor passing through his body as he realized what was going to happen once they were behind closed doors.

The room was breathtaking, even in the darkness, as they stepped through the ornate door. Bog’s mouth dropped open in awe, astonished that this was the place his father once called home. An open area furnished with comfortable couches and chairs spread out before them. There were several rooms set off this one, a desk visible in one and book-lined shelves. There was a massive window and balcony rising up on one side of the room, allowing light inside through dust-covered yellowing drapes. 

A loft covered half the area above them, set apart with neatly carved wooden railings. There were more bookshelves and items all over them. The loft crossed the large window, and there was more seating set up there. Bog could imagine his father sitting there in that comfortable window seat, reading.

Marianne stepped forward, looking around with similar astonishment, her hand still on his arm. “Even with all the dust, wow, this is impressive.” 

“I can’t believe he traded this for a tiny little room in an old human house,” muttered Bog, his wings twitching behind him.

“We don’t have to do anything right now.” Marianne glanced at Bog, her own wings half raising as she let him go. Then she laughed. “You were so afraid of being naked in front of me, and you’re technically walking around completely naked.”

Bog heaved with a great sigh. “Don’t remind me.” He closed his eyes for a moment, gritting his teeth. It would have been bad enough if he looked like himself, as a human, but this was even worse.

“So, I am curious about one thing.” Marianne nibbled on a fingernail, looking Bog up and down as she circled him, reaching out to trace her fingertips over his body. Bog felt his face flush again, and his heart began beating rapidly in his chest, 

“Keep touching me, and ye’ll find out,” grumbled Bog, knowing precisely what she meant. Marianne immediately withdrew her hand. Bog sighed, “Sorry.”

“I’m fine, you just look like you’re about to die of embarrassment.” Marianne was in front of him again, her wings fully flared in what Bog assumed was excitement. “I don’t want you to be embarrassed, Bog. I love you. What you look like doesn’t matter, although I do love your wings!” She was behind him again, and he felt her hands stroke over his wings, a sensation that sent strange tremors of pleasure through his body. His wings appeared to be extremely sensitive to touch.

Then, there was a ripple of blinding rapture that made Bog crouch first, arms out to his side as his wings lifted of their own accord and hummed, Marianne’s fingers walking up his back from just above his hips to between his wings. She was using her touch to study him briefly, and what he was feeling, igniting every sensitive nerve in an overwhelmingly pleasurable way. Bog stiffened with a groan and arched his back, then he moved, unable to take it any longer, and Marianne laughed.

Bog twisted, not realizing what he was doing, his wings carrying him several feet into the air, but only for a moment. He careened into a column with a loud thud, then crashed to the ground in a confused pile of limbs.

“Oops!” Marianne flew to his side, careful where she touched him. “Sorry about that. I had no idea that would happen!”

“What did ye do?” groaned Bog, running a hand over his face.

“Manipulated your senses a little,” sighed Marianne with a small regretful expression on her face. “It was interesting until you flew into this.”

“Well, it’s always fun until someone flies into a column,” grunted Bog, reaching out to touch her face. “I’m fine.”

“You did fly.” Marianne leaned toward him and began kissing him. There were no words as Bog kissed back, sliding his hands over her, gently dragging his nails over her back and wings, pulling her close.

“Here?” Bog whispered between kisses, “My beautiful Marianne?”

“Yeah,” she murmured back, pressing her body against him, her hands moving down his sides, leaving a trail of pleasurable sensation as she enhanced the feeling with her ability, golden flickers of light passing beneath her fingertips. “I want you right now.”

‘Mmm,” Bog couldn’t find any words, responding with his body, as foreign as it was to him. It was still his, and the woman in his arms was his as much as he was hers. Nothing else mattered but pleasing her.

-=-=-=-=- 

Sunny stared at the glittering purple fairy as she picked Brutus up and rubbed him between the ears. “I haven’t seen one of these in decades!”

“Sugar Plum, can you tell us how he works? How long does it take for him to, uh, recharge?” Dawn inquired eagerly.

“Fairy dogs who are new to transporting fairies and people back and forth haven’t built up their ability and energy to do more than one at a time in the beginning.” Sugar Plum hovered in front of them, petting the dog who was wriggling and trying to lick her. “Doing three on the same day completely drained him, and he joined you to do it. Brutus will return to his normal size sometime tomorrow afternoon, but he won’t be able to transport anyone for another day.”

“So, I’m going to be stuck like this for at least two days?” Sunny groaned.

“Unfortunately.” Sugar Plum handed Brutus to Sunny. “We could really use some help in this battle.”

“I’d like to be able to help,” grumbled Sunny, hugging the dog tightly. “I would, but I don’t have wings.”

“Hmmm.” Sugar Plum peered at Sunny curiously. “You don’t need wings to be useful, Sunny, just keep our princess company.”

“Yeah, I love having you here!” Dawn announced cheerfully. “I know it’s not the best time to be here, but you’re here, so we should make the most of it.”

-=-=-=-=-

Late afternoon turned into evening with Bog and Marianne ending up on one of the large flat cushions in front of the window in the loft. Goblins had brought them fresh bedding and blankets, most of which were spread over the dusty cushions and wrapped around them haphazardly. They had fallen asleep in the cool room while it was still light, the lowering sun coming through the surrounding forest and making a pleasant place to nap.

Marianne was amazed that she actually fell asleep with everything that had been on her mind hours earlier, but having Bog with her helped, as well as knowing they had someone much older working on the problem. She made a face as something hard knocked up against her head, then Bog’s arm tightened over her, and he grumbled. It happened again, and Marianne blinked sleepily, trying to figure out why Bog was nudging her.

“Aye, ye two need to get up now. Honeymoon’s over.” Bog’s grandfather prodded Bog’s shoulder with his staff, which then pushed him into Marianne’s face. “Sorry to wake ye, but we got a little trip to make to the west side of yer yard.”

Bog groaned, squeezing his eyes shut, annoyed that he couldn’t just lay there with Marianne in his arms a moment longer. “Grandpa, can ye let me wake up a bit more before I start moving around.”

“Nope.” The elder Bog prodded him again. “Time to go, cause ye got to show me if ye can handle yerself. I let ye sleep long enough.”

Grumbling, Bog rolled over and sat up, running his hand over his face. He stopped when it covered his eyes, holding his hand away from his face. “Well, I see this nightmare is still happening.”

“It’s not that bad, Bog.” His grandfather made a face at him. “Ye look fine to me.”

“Oh, he was like this before he found out he was a fairy,” stated Marianne, getting up on her knees behind Bog and shoving him on the shoulder. “Knock it off.”

“Hmpth,” Bog snorted. 

“Didn’t seem to cause ye any problems with yer wife,” chuckled the elder Bog. Both Bog and Marianne made a face at that, with Marianne running a hand through her hair, which was even more of a mess than usual.

“Okay, what are we doing?” Marianne stretched and yawned, then shook her head to try to get rid of the sleep still fogging her mind. 

“Going into the forest to make contact with yer sister. Wherever they are, they’re sealed up tight, and my goblins haven’t found them.” The Bog King turned, rattling his wings. “So we are going to go through the treetops. They should come out for their princess. We have to be discreet because of Roland’s guards.”

“Bog, what kind of training do ye have? Did yer father teach ye how to fight?” The elder Bog stepped off the edge of the loft, dropping to the floor below. Marianne followed, but Bog hesitated. He had used his wings half a dozen times unintentionally but still wasn’t sure about them.

“I was taught to win,” stated Bog, heading for the nearby stairs.

“Oh, no, ye don’t. Ye step off and fly down here,” snapped his grandfather, his voice booming through the room, making Bog cringe back from the stairs. With a sigh, Bog walked to the edge and stood. “Step off. Yer wings will catch ye on instinct. Trust yer instincts.”

“You can do it, Bog,” Marianne stated. “We all go through this when we’re learning how to fly. Just step off, and your wings will catch you.”

“Come on, boy, I got something for ye,” the elder Bog added encouragingly, tapping his staff on the floor. 

Bog took a deep breath, stared ahead, and stepped off the edge. He felt the sensation of falling for a brief second, this his wings reacted on their own, slowing his descent. His grandfather cackled proudly, “Good. Good. See, I told ye!”

“This is going to take some getting used to,” grumbled Bog walking up to his grandfather.

The elder Bog held out the staff in his hand. “We don’t teach our kids to fight. We teach them to win, so I’m going to assume ye know how to use this. It was your father’s scepter.”

“I never thought I’d use a real weapon against anyone.” Bog stared at the scepter in awe. “It was all just fun, Father teaching me how to use the environment to my advantage. Staves were always his favorite weapon. I guess I know why now.”

“Aye, Prince Bog.” Grandfather bowed his head. “Take yer birthright.”

Bog laid his hand on the staff, bowing his head back in return. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know how hard it is to make sure Marianne doesn't run off by herself? I had to rewrite and rearrange parts of this chapter several times, because let's be honest, Marianne WILL RUN OFF WITHOUT A PLAN to rescue her father! I figured it out.
> 
> I gave Bog the most awesome room this time around! Normally, I give him very plain, simple, no frills rooms, but THIS TIME, I went all out and I think I'm going to transfer that room to the Metamorphosis rebuild. :D
> 
> Also realized that healing ability Marianne has might have other 'uses'. ;) Hehehehe...
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog, his grandfather, the Bog King, and Marianne go on the search for the Resistance lead by Dawn.

Marianne took a deep breath, following the Bog King and Bog into the darkness. The pair of them had better eyesight at night than she did. Worry about her father and sister were weighing on her, even though she had managed to push it aside for a short time. Marianne had been so excited by Bog being here and being a fairy that she was able to concentrate on him and not her worries. It did no good to worry until it was time, and now, now it was time to worry and hear the plan.

“Goblins are good at one thing among all others, making tunnels,” stated Grandfather, leading the way slowly, keeping up high in the trees and moving small distances to get Bog used his wings. “They are digging two tunnels. One to the west side of the forest and one to your castle.”

“So we need to find my sister, the resistance, and then funnel them through the tunnels from one side to the other and then into the castle?” Marianne landed on a branch behind the Bog King.

Bog landed nearby on a branch much too small to hold his weight. It bowed beneath him, and he flailed his arms, wings immediately humming to lift him back up. Marianne smiled at him, knowing he was trying hard to get used to being a fairy and would make a lot of missteps. She needed to keep her eyes on him to keep him out of trouble. Judging by Grandfather’s face, he had similar thoughts in mind.

“I will recommend a diversion to draw the troops away, two diversions if possible,” The Bog King replied. “I’ve had reports of the Resistance doing runs at various parts of the castle, testing the defenses. Dawn is doing a good job.”

Marianne grinned proudly, “She has had the same training I have, as minimal as it was.”

“Aye, I know yer father never wanted ye to have to fight, but thankfully wanted ye to protect yerselves if it ever happened. That’s why I gave ye the swords.” He motioned to the sword at Marianne’s hip. “Which I was always happy to see ye carry.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be much help,” sighed Bog, landing next to his father, wobbling back and forth as he attempted to balance himself with his staff. “I don’t want to be a liability.”

“Marianne and I will need to be at the front of the lines with Dawn,” stated the elder Bog. “Ye are correct, Bog, ye will need to stay where ever I tell ye to. It’s not that I don’t believe ye can fight, it’s that ye need more time with yer wings. Ye would end up fighting fairies who have flown their entire lives.”

Bog inhaled slowly, looking worriedly at Marianne. “I know.”

“I’ll be fine, Bog,” Marianne smiled at him as Grandfather flew to another branch in a tree further away. Bog turned with a grumble to follow him, then Marianne tailed the two, glancing around the limbs for any strange movements. So far, they had not run into any fairies.

They were deep into the west side of the forest when the Bog King suddenly stopped and crouched, swinging his hand out to signal Bog and Marianne to stop as well. They waited and listened, then Bog turned to Marianne. “Princess, time for ye to let your people know they’re here, at least, I hope that’s who I’m hearing. If not, we’re about to fight. If we fight, Bog, follow me.”

Marianne took a breath and flew forward, landing on a branch away from Bog and his grandfather. She took a moment, standing and listening. There was nothing to see or hear. If her people were out here, they were doing their best to remain silent.

“I am Princess Marianne of the Sunfields, who is out there?” Marianne shouted, and the moment she finished her sentence, the trees around her exploded with a dozen fairies in different colored armored plating as well as leather armored scouts.

“Princess Marianne!” One, a male in dark brown armor gilded in gold, shouted in greeting. “Your sister has been looking for you!” They kept their distance for the moment, everyone tense as they circled. The fairy who spoke lowered his voice, glancing around warily. “We need to keep quiet, or we’ll attract the wrong kind of attention.”

“How do I know you are not trying to trick me, and you’re Roland’s troops instead of my sister’s?” Marianne stood with her hand on the hilt of her sword, wings flared in case she needed to fly.

“Smart, lass,” chuckled the Bog King to his grandson. Bog frowned, his wings twitching uncontrollably behind him. “Stay yer wings, lad.”

“They move on their own,” snorted Bog, his eyes fixed on Marianne’s form.

“We’ll get Princess Dawn.” The lead fairy stated. “She will prove who we are.”

“Until then, do you mind backing off?” Marianne waved a hand at the surrounding fairies. “There’s no need to surround me if you’re not hostile.”

“True,” nodded the leader. “By the way, my name is Guthrie, Princess Marianne.” He bowed. “Of the Golden Hills. I will return promptly.” He lifted his hand. “Everyone, back off. Form a perimeter around the princess and her companions!” Guthrie turned, raising his grey and white wings and flew into the darkness. 

The Bog King turned to his grandson and gestured for Bog to follow him as he flew to land on the same branch as Marianne. The elder Bog lowered his head next to Marianne, whispering, “Ye can never be too careful.”

“They’re wearing the armor of all the displaced fairies,” Marianne whispered back. “I’m sure they’re allies, but I don’t know them. I didn’t see a single familiar face.”

They waited for a short time, then heard the sound of wings coming. “Careful,” Grandfather warned, flaring his wings. “Be ready to fly if they are returning with reinforcements.”

Marianne stood, her hand on the hilt of her sword as Guthrie returned with a fairy in a full suit of red armor, the helmet in the shape of a fox’s head. The fairy made a movement that was specific to Dawn, shrieking happily, clenching her fists in front of her, then flying at her sister. “Marianne!”

“Aye, that is Dawn,” stated the Bog King, lowering his wings and watching as Dawn almost knocked her sister off the branch.

“Dawn! What are you wearing!” Marianne gasped. “That is… beautiful!”

“I know, isn’t it.” Dawn lifted her helmet off quickly and tucked it under her arm. “Okay, so we shouldn’t stand out here and talk. Come with us! Sunny’s here too, and Brutus!” Dawn looked at Bog, and her eyes widened. Then she looked at Grandfather, and back to Bog again, her jaw dropping.

“It’s Bog,” stated Marianne, gesturing to him. 

He lowered his head and sighed. “It is.”

“Oh, wow, you’re a fairy!” Dawn squealed, then clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she was making too much noise. “I am so bad at this,” she added with a groan, putting the helmet back on. “Follow me!” She turned and hopped off the branch, taking to the air along with several other fairies, including Guthrie. The remaining fairies fanned out around them, vanishing into the forest.

*

Bog wasn’t sure what to expect as he flew by his grandfather. His back was beginning to ache from all the flying, whatever muscles controlling his wings new to the whole process, but he kept up. It appeared they were taking a route back that was unnecessarily long, and he quickly realized why. It was a secret. Finally, they landed ina tall, ancient tree, and Dawn led them through a small gap in the bark, which proved a little tight for Bog and his grandfather.

They managed to make it through to the roots, it just took a little longer for the two larger fairies to maneuver through the narrow path. Bog was relieved when they dropped out into the cavern, and nothing could snag his shoulders. His grandfather seemed similarly relieved, exhaling heavily as they followed Dawn to her little area.

As they flew through the cavern, every fairy on the ground or surrounding ledges raised their eyes, noting first, Princess Marianne was here, secondly, the Bog King was with her and third, the smaller version of the Bog King. They stared and began talking amongst each other in wonder. If the goblins became involved in their battle, lead by their king, they could seige the castle and take it back. Smiles began spreading over the faces of every fairy present as they spoke hopefully amongst themselves.

“Bog!” Sunny looked up from the chair he occupied in Dawn’s quarters, speaking to Bog’s grandfather. “Where did you get a crown?” He added suspiciously.

“That’s not Bog,” giggled Dawn, removing her helmet again and placing it on a table. “That’s the Bog King.”

The elder Bog smiled, moving aside to allow his grandson to step forward. “Sunny.” Bog sighed, looking for someplace to sit. “This is my grandfather, Bog, or as he’s apparently known to everyone in my backyard, the Bog King.” Sunny’s jaw dropped open as he looked from Bog to his grandfather, back to Bog. 

“Wow, Dawn.” Marianne looked at the table her little sister put her helmet on. She scooted the helmet aside to look at the map spread out on it. Sheets of paper overlayed it, marking out the defenses, numbers of guards, and how close they could get before they were seen. “Did you do this?”

“Yes. I’ve lead a charge every few nights to test the defenses on random parts of the castle, then I chart out all this information.” Dawn sat at the table, grinning at her sister proudly.

“Did ye do this with the same number of days in between attacks?” The elder Bog inquired curiously, looming over Marianne.

“Oh, no. I made sure we never used the same number of days in between so he wouldn’t expect us!” Dawn piped up cheerfully.

“Smart. Very smart,” chuckled the Bog King. “How many days between yer last attack and how many days since the last one?”

“We waited three days before the last attack, and it was two nights ago.” Dawn pointed at the map. “We attacked here.”

The Bog King studied the map along with Marianne. Then both stated at the same time, “Tomorrow night.” Marianne grinned up at him.

“Go ahead, lass.” The elder Bog motioned to the map. “State yer plan.”

“If you’ve used random days, hitting different points, then Roland will not expect you to take a force in and attack in the same number of days, and we hit the same area with one team, while the other goes to the other side and launches an attack simultaneously.” Marianne began laying out her thoughts. She looked at Bog, “How long are your tunnels?”

“They’re already done,” replied the elder Bog. “I’ll lead that force and take whatever troops ye have to spare. We’ll take the castle from the inside and outside at the same time. To really take them off guard, we should attack tomorrow morning.”

*

Bog sat with Sunny, holding Brutus on his lap, listening to the fairies plot. He had no part in this and was useless. His grandfather went over numbers with Dawn and Marianne, discussing how many trained troops Dawn had and working on dividing them out equally, with the two princesses taking the bulk of the soldiers. The Bog King had hundreds of goblins at his command, but he needed fairies who knew the castle.

“How ye holding up, Sunny?” Bog whispered to his friend, who was standing beside him, likely having similar thoughts on being useless.

“You mean besides feeling like I’m in a Star Wars movie with fairies instead of aliens? And my girlfriend is the leader of the Resistance?” Sunny gave Bog a dry smirk.

“Hopefully, the original trilogy, because yer toast if it’s the other two.” Bog smiled back at him.

Sunny made a face at Bog, then sighed, “Okay. I found out Brutus can’t take more than one of us back at a time, and the soonest will be the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.”

“Sorry, I got ye into this.” Bog ran a clawed hand over his dog, grumbling. 

“I did my part.” Sunny took a deep breath. “The worst thing is that I can’t do anything to help.”

“Look at me.” Bog held out his hands, palms up, curling his fingers. “This is the body of a predator, and I’m useless. I can barely fly, I can’t handle a weapon, and I’m just going to be in the way. I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t do anything.”

“Yeah, but at least you look like you belong here,” Sunny pointed out ruefully.

“Bog? Sunny?” Marianne stood before them. “Dawn’s taking us to get something to eat and find more bedding for tonight.”

“Okay,” Bog rose, wincing as his wings quivered, sending intense pain through his back.

Marianne stared at Bog’s face in concern, then walked around behind him, pressing her hand into his back between his wings. “Oh, Bog, I’m sorry.” Warmth flooded through Bog’s upper back as the pain was immediately soothed by healing warmth. “I should have thought about how much you’ve been flying!”

“Ye had other, more important concerns,” stated Bog, eyes closed, breathing slowly at the relief. Marianne slid her hand down his back, lowering her head. 

*

The fairies went about their business, first, getting their guests food, then Dawn, Marianne, and the Bog King went off to talk with the troops. Bog and Sunny ended up sitting at a table, surrounded by nosy fairies, curious about the strange newcomers. They ate in silence, both feeling completely alone despite being surrounded by fairies.

“We’ll be moving into position in the morning, before dawn,” Marianne stopped at the table next to Bog. “We need to get some sleep.”

“Aye,” The Bog King stated in agreement. “I’m taking a small group of fairy soldiers with me. Ye can stay here if ye want, Bog. Ye will be safe here.”

“I’ll stay with Marianne.” Bog rose. “And keep Sunny company when everyone’s gone tomorrow.” Brutus woofed from beneath him. 

“I’m sure all the fairies hiding here will be happy to be able to return to their homes tomorrow.” Dawn glanced around with a sad look at the handful of fairies still awake, gossiping nearby. “I know I am.”

“I will send goblins to coordinate with ye at the designated meeting spot,” stated the elder Bog. “Good night to ye all.” He bowed, then turned and walked away to joint several armored guards nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading a bit early, because I'm going to escape my prison for a little while.
> 
> Poor Bog, realizing a lot of things about himself and feeling utterly helpless, along with Sunny. If only they were human sized, they could probably go and take care of Roland and WOULD happily do so!
> 
> Have a good evening!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle for the fairy kingdom in Bog's backyard begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of two chapters going up today.

The sleeping arrangements were awkward. Everyone ended up sleeping in the same little curtained off room next to Dawn’s quarters. They had moss mats that were soft enough, lying on the floor of the small stone room. There were thin blankets, but they were better than nothing. 

Dawn took her armor off and slept curled up with Sunny, her wings draped over him as an added blanket. Bog and Marianne were next to them, but not nearly as comfortable. It was cramped for Bog, but he didn’t complain. Brutus curled up near their head, snoring.

Bog had a difficult time falling asleep, the only thought going through his head was that he and Sunny didn’t belong there. They should not have come looking for Marianne. It would have been better if they had waited. Marianne would still have gone to his grandfather, and it appeared he would have helped no matter what.

Marianne shifted, mumbling, her head resting against Bog’s chest, arms folded under her, knees tucked up tightly between them with her wings pulled over her for more warmth. The thin blanket over Bog didn’t do him much good. It was too short, but that was okay. The cold stone against his back didn’t bother him.

Being in the way did. Again, the words came through his head. He didn’t belong here. This wasn’t his world. He was a fairy, yes, but he was not like these fairies. It was astonishing that Marianne hadn’t taken one look at him and left, but it was also a testament to her love.

A warm flutter filled Bog’s chest, and he smiled, kissing the top of Marianne’s head. He slid his fingers gently over her back and shoulders, not wanting to wake her, but wanting to feel her soft skin. For all his negative thoughts, one thing was certain, he did belong with Marianne.

And he loved her with all of his heart.

*

Morning came too early for Marianne. She woke in Bog’s arms, the pleasant smell of the earth and warm wood filling her senses. With a smile, Marianne inhaled the scent deeply, smiling, and snuggling in closer. Sounds were coming from outside the room, Sunny and Dawn talking. It was time to wake up, and Marianne forced her eyes open, blinking as she tilted her head to look up at Bog’s neck and chin.

She stared at him for a moment. He was still her Bog, a little rougher looking and with a jaw covered in prickly thorns, but he was hers. She could smell his usual scent beneath the new woody one. Still Bog. She tilted her head and kissed his neck. He swallowed and made a soft pleased noise. Marianne listened for Sunny and Dawn, then kissed Bog again, shifting up against him, nibbling up the side of his neck.

“Please tell me yer going to wake me up like this every morning,” groaned Bog, tilting his chin up and dragging his fingers down Marianne’s back. He momentarily forgot they were not his softer human hands when he felt the drag of his nails. “Sorry.” He flattened his hands out, making sure his fingernails were not hitting her skin.

“No, it’s okay.” Marianne shifted, breathing into his ear before beginning to nibble on it. “Your ears are so cute and pointy.”

“Cute?” chuckled Bog. “That works for ye, not me.” He shut his eyes suddenly, a jolt of pleasure rippling up his back as Marianne’s fingers ran over the base of his wings. 

“Hey, Bog, Marianne? Are you up?” Dawn called from the other side of the curtain. Marianne groaned, rolling her eyes.

“We could pretend to be asleep,” whispered Bog.

“She’d just come in here and jump on us,” giggled Marianne.

“I hear you talking!” Dawn called through the curtain.

“We need five minutes!” Bog yelled back, pushing himself up on one arm.

“Go away!” Marianne added, flicking her wings, stretching them out behind her. She put a hand on Bog’s shoulder, rising up on her knees. “Ten minutes!”

“Oh?” Bog growled, readjusting his wings as he was pushed onto his back.

“Good morning.” Marianne grinned, leaning over Bog to kiss him passionately.

*

Bog and Sunny watched Dawn and Marianne get dressed in their armor. During the night, a set of armor had been dropped off for Marianne. It was black, with a bluish-purple sheen and identical to Dawn’s down to the helmet. The armor was made for a male fairy, just like Dawn’s, with alterations made so it would fit a female.

From the sound of it, they took measurements last night, and the armor was adjusted while they slept. The armor originally belonged to another fairy kingdom’s generals, who discarded their armor due to old age and were incapable of wielding a sword or engaging in battle. They were proud to give their armor to the princesses.

“Ye look amazing,” Bog smiled as Marianne finished adjusting the black chest plate. She was armored, and she knew what she was doing, Bog told himself. She would be okay. His grandfather would be there and hundreds of goblins, along with hundreds of armed fairies. 

“Thank you.” Marianne walked up to him, and they kissed. “I will see you this evening, hopefully.”

“Ye will,” stated Bog. “No doubts.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Sunny stated mournfully to Dawn. “Do you have to?”

“Sunny, I’ve been doing this for over a week. My father and our kingdom need us.” Dawn leaned down to kiss Sunny. “They need me to lead them. I can’t just step back because Marianne’s here. We both have to do this.”

“Dawn’s right,” added Marianne. “We both need to lead, and unfortunately, we need to go now.”

Bog made a face at Marianne, wings twitching with a slight rattle at his back. “Ye know, if I knew I wouldn’t be in the way, I would want to be by yer side, Marianne.”

“I know. It can’t be helped.” Marianne gazed up at her husband with a grim smile. “This isn’t normal for us, Bog. Yes, we train our armies for combat, but it’s usually not against other fairies. It’s unlikely something like this will ever happen again.” Her face contorted suddenly, and she snarled. “Because I intend to drive my sword in Roland’s chest, right into that place, he should have a heart.”

Bog’s eyes widened at that statement and Marianne’s tone. “That’s the guy, isn’t it?”

“He is,” groaned Marianne. She took a deep breath, glancing at her sister and the guards waiting at the door. “When I get through with him…” She hesitated, looking up at Bog. “I’ll only kill him if I have to. I’ve never killed anyone before, but I have to be prepared to do it. Sorry, Bog.”

“I understand.” Bog nodded, reaching out to cup Marianne’s face between his hands, getting one final kiss before she left. “I understand.”

*

The seriousness of what they were about to do weighed heavily on the sisters as they strode through the cavern, their helmets under their arms so the other fairies could see them pass. Marianne looked at her little sister, who seemed to have grown immensely over the short time she had taken on the command of the resistance. She still had a smile on her face, but her eyes held more seriousness than usual. 

Dawn was a leader, probably not the best physical warrior, but her greatest strength would be encouraging their people. Marianne was so incredibly proud of her little sister for stepping up like this. 

“Are you afraid, Marianne?” Dawn asked, biting her lower lip. “This is the first time I’ve lead an attack during the day.”

“I’d be stupid to not be afraid, Dawn.” Marianne reached out to lay a gloved hand on her sister’s shoulders. “But what we need to do is more important than fear.”

“Thank you, Marianne.” Dawn tilted her head to give her big sister a huge smile. “Now that you’re here, hopefully, this will be over soon.”

“With the Bog King’s help, it should be.” Marianne nodded as they stopped in front of the tunnel that had been freshly dug into the cavern. There were a handful of goblins standing proudly around it. The tunnel was big enough for two fairies to walk through it side by side, and there were more goblins inside the tunnel, packing the sides and laying down supports here and there.

“I’m impressed.” Marianne stared at the opening. “There’s no risk of anyone seeing us coming and going.”

“Yes.” Guthrie stepped forward, bowing to the princesses, a mass of curly black hair falling over dark green eyes. “I’ve been to the other end, and we have already gathered everyone there. It opens into the Dark Forest so nobody can see us. I’ve already met with the Bog King, and he instructed me to tell you that Princess Dawn is to take the first force in to ‘tease’ their defenses while Princess Marianne amasses the real attack.”

“And the Bog King?” Marianne stepped toward the opening. 

“He and his goblins are already waiting in the tunnel beneath the castle. They will breach it when Princess Dawn begins her attack.” Guthrie rose and motioned to the tunnel. “We need to do this now. The sun is just beginning to rise.”

Marianne nodded, then looked at her sister. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Right!” Dawn walked after Marianne, and Guthrie fell in behind her along with the remaining dozen armored fairies left in the cavern.

*

Their army was a mix of their own people, soldiers loyal to the king, and all the displaced soldiers from other fallen kingdoms. With the goblins, they outnumbered the soldiers in the castle, but most of their foreign soldiers had not trained or had different methods than their own. Still, they were there, gathered into squads of their own kind, waiting for orders.

Marianne looked out over the troops she was about to lead into battle. Half of them wore the green and gold armor of her kingdom. The rest were smaller squads, wearing a rainbow of colors. Guthrie was with her sister, serving as her personal guard along with half a dozen others. Their sole job was to protect the princess and relay her orders. This was how Dawn managed to lead effectively without getting swarmed by enemy soldiers. Dawn confided in Marianne on the way that she had locked swords in combat, but Guthrie or one of her guards would take them out because Dawn wasn’t strong enough or practiced enough to last for long. Her presence and the fact she was there was enough to encourage her soldiers.

And now? Marianne was here, turning to lead an actual army of over a hundred soldiers through the Dark Forest. She had half a dozen guards assigned to her as well, but she was going to be an active participant, leading her men forward into combat against her own soldiers, possibly men she knew and had even grown up with.

A wave of fairy wings and gleaming armor passed through the forest, low to the ground, then they broke from the woods into the field that leads to the castle. There was no light to catch on the armored plating as Marianne flew to the castle, spreading her wings out to glide silently. Armored fairies were active around the castle, but it looked like Dawn’s force was already engaging them on the other side of the rock. The sounds of combat rose into the air, and Marianne set her jaw.

When they hit, their orders were clear, find a way in, find her father, find Roland. Marianne set her eyes on the balcony that led to her own room. That’s where she would enter because this was her home, and she had every right to be there. It was also most likely the direct path to the throne room.

*

“Let’s go.” The Bog King walked in a circle in the narrow goblin dug tunnel, eyeing the ceiling. With a shout, he struck the brick above with his staff. Dirt and rock rained down around the goblins, who immediately began digging at the walls, bringing down more of the flooring. Brandishing his staff, the Bog King flew through the hole, expecting soldiers on the other side.

There was one soldier, a single guard, who stared in horror and backed into a wall as the Bog King strode toward him, goblins spilling out of the hole and flooding the room. Frozen with fear, the guard’ couldn’t even reach for his sword. His wings fell flat against his back as he pressed against the wall.

“Where is King Dagda?” The King of the Dark Forest snarled into the guard’s face, poking the head of his staff into the guard’s chest. The guard’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, he looked to the left, down a narrow stone hallway lined with barred doors.

The Bog King disarmed the guard, tossing the sword to his goblins, then grabbed him by the arm to haul him down the hallway. They didn’t get far before finding the cell the fairy king inhabited, heavily bound with chains, sitting on the ground. 

“This is not a room fit for a king,” snarled the Bog King, shoving the guard forward. “Ye got the keys? Open the door, now!” The guard whimpered, fumbling with a ring of keys. The door opened, and the guard was shoved in ahead of the Bog King. “The shackles.”

“Bog?” Dagda stared at his rescuer, stunned. “What are you doing here? Are my daughters okay?”

“I’m sure they are fine,” stated the Bog King, offering a hand to his old friend as the shackles on his wrists and ankles fell away. “They are currently waging an attack on the castle.”

“They?” Dagda made a face, accepting the assistance. His armor had been removed, and he was disheveled and dirty from being in the dungeon cell, but didn’t seem to be injured. With a groan, Dagda stretched his wings out and shook them. “Dawn! We need to help them!”

“Not without armor or weapons, yer not,” snorted Bog. “Ye are going back into the tunnel with my goblins to wait for this to be over. Without ye, Roland has nothing.”

“Dawn is outside, fighting?!” Dagda gaped at the Bog King, moving unsteadily on his feet. He had to use his wings to remain upright. “I mean, Marianne, yes, I would expect that of her, but Dawn?”

“Oh, ye will be amazed to hear what your baby girl has been doing,” chuckled the Bog King. “Now, we need to leave.”

“My armor is probably in the storage room just outside,” stated Dagda, pushing past the Bog King. “It will only take a moment for me to get my armor on. I’m the king. I can’t run off and hide.”

“Aye,” nodded the Bog King, turning to follow. “As long as yer not injured.”

“Starving, yes, injured, no,” grunted Dagda, rushing across the room.

“I hardly believe yer starving.” The Bog King rolled his eyes, noting the king didn’t look any less round than the last time he had seen him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dawn and Marianne getting to work together makes me so happy!   
Unfortunately, things are never as easy as they seem.
> 
> Let me tell you about Guthrie. He walked in and said, hi, I'm really handsome and steadfast, charming and I have things I want to do and I deserve attention. And I told him to knock it off, because this isn't his story. So he's been transported to Winter Wings for later use. :P You'll see why by the end of this one.


	22. Chapter 22,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog is taken off guard by being left in charge of the fairies in the resistance's hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second of two chapters I'm posting today, so there was another chapter before this one put up!

Bog picked at the piece of bread he had been given for breakfast. There was also a bowl of some sort of sweet porridge he observed the other fairies dredging the bread into and eating. He and Sunny sat in the middle of the area, set up for fairies to eat in, watching children and their parents milling around, eating breakfast. 

There were still a few armored fairies that were left behind, watching the entrances and serving to keep order among the rest of the fairies. Bog didn’t have any appetite but forced down a mouthful of bread, then drank some of the sweet nectar the other fairies were drinking. The majority of the fairies around him looked like nothing more than humans with wings. There was little variation among them physically, not to the extremes that Bog was different.

Their wing shapes and colors seemed to be the main difference, along with skin tone. Bog studied the fairies, curious to know more about them, but not about to begin talking to them. They whispered when they walked by Bog and Sunny, but none interacted with them beyond offering them food and drink. He wasn’t sure if they were scared of him or just being polite.

Brutus sat beneath the bench, making whining sounds. Something was unsettling his dog. Bog grumbled, dropping his hand in front of him. “Brutus, quiet.” There were children gathered nearby, obviously fascinated with the fairy dog. “Why don’t ye go play. I know ye like kids.” Bog prodded his dog, but the corgi remained under the bench.

The dog began growling, then the shouting started. Bog looked up to see what the noise was about and saw several armored fairies running toward him. Why were they coming his way? Bog stared at them while Brutus continued growling.

“Bog King, sir!” One of them began, gesturing toward the entrance that led into the tree’s canopy. “There are enemy soldiers in the tree, and they’ve found the entrance!”

“What?” Bog blinked at them, taking a moment for the words to register. “I’m not the Bog King, I’m his grandson, Bog, Princess Marianne’s husband.”

“You are in charge!” One of the other fairies stated, eyes wide in fear. “You are royalty!”

Bog groaned, slapping a hand to his head, Sunny leaning over his side and making a whimpering sound. “Seal the entrance, cave it in, do whatever ye have to do to stop them!” Bog rose quickly, wings buzzing behind him as he thought through what needed to be done. He hadn’t counted on this, but there were hundreds of fairies in the cavern, almost all of them unarmed and without any kind of protection. “Are there other entrances?”

“Yes, Prince Bog!” 

“Get everyone moving who can. Check every entrance and get back to me!” Bog flew across the cavern as fairies began scattering, some moving to follow the soldiers, others staring at Bog, waiting to be told what to do. Brutus ran after his master, whining, with Sunny close behind.

Bog scowled, flying up higher to surveil the cavern. There were too many non-combatants, and if the enemy managed to get inside, they would be available as hostages. Then he spotted the goblin’s tunnel. He knew the plan and where that tunnel led, but what did it mean that there was an army around the tree? Had Marianne and his grandfather failed? What was going on outside?

The fairies could be routed into the tunnel, providing an easily defensible area. There were goblins all over the place, and it let out into the dark forest. A plan formed quickly, a rough one, but one that could work. Bog rose higher into the air, looking at all the eyes waiting for him, watching as the few fairies in armor he had available to him flew around the perimeter of the cavern.

Every one of them was young, probably barely trained, and left behind because they weren’t ready for battle. Bog took a moment longer to consider. This could all be a coincidence, and Marianne would be returning soon, having staged an attack at the same time as Roland.

“Everyone who can not fight, get to the goblin tunnel now!” Bog shouted as loud as he could, his voice echoing off the cavern walls. “One at a time! Do not crowd the tunnel, or there will be no way out!” Fairies began moving, wings in a multitude of colors spreading as shouting rose up louder, followed by frightened children crying. The goblins near the tunnel made sure the fairies didn’t flood into it.

*

There were guards, but the lack of resistance was disturbing. Marianne swept through the castle with her warriors close behind. There were a few brief skirmishes, but something was wrong. There should have been more soldiers than what they were encountering.

Reaching the throne room, there was another quick battle, her soldiers storming forward, engaging and forcing clearly inexperienced guards to surrender. Marianne slammed into an unfortunate youth, sending him crashing into a nearby wall, his sword flying out of reach. “Where is everyone? Where is Roland?” She lifted her sword to the soldier’s face, and he stared at her wide-eyed, blood streaming from his nose. “I am Princess Marianne, and I’m here to reclaim our castle and my father.”

“Gone!” The soldier cringed back. “I surrender! I surrender! They went on a mission before sunrise!”

“Where did they go?” Marianne hissed, leaning in. 

“To destroy the resistance! They found where you are hiding, and Roland took half the army with him to scatter them and take Princess Dawn!” The soldier threw a hand over his head. “Please, don’t hurt me!”

“Tie him up with the others.” Marianne turned as her soldiers rushed forward to take care of him. She needed a moment to think. They had succeeded in their mission of taking the castle with minimal bloodshed, and every resisting soldier was taken captive and tied up.

“Marianne!” She looked up to see her father, tugging on his chest plate, with the Bog King close behind him. A swarm of goblins spilled out into the throne room as the king rushed up to his daughter and grabbed her around the shoulders.

“Dad!” Marianne was happy to see him, but at the same time, attempting to sort through the panic rising up inside. “We have to get back to the forest. Roland took his best soldiers to siege the tree!”

“What?” Bog glanced around the throne room. “Oh, no, my grandson!” The look on his face was one of abject horror, the color draining completely from his already pale face.

“Your grandson?” King Dagda stared at the Bog King in surprise.

“Bog!” Marianne shouted, shakily spinning on her heels, flaring her wings. “My husband, Dad! He turned out to be the Bog King’s grandson, and we left him in the safety of the tree the resistance was using as a hideout! It’s under attack!” She took off without another word, her guards and half the soldiers present flying after her.

“What’s going on?” Dawn flew into the throne room to see Marianne leaving, then she saw her father and, with a happy squeal, dove into him. “Daddy!”

“I’ll go with Marianne.” The Bog King strode forward, swinging his staff. “Goblins, those of you in the castle, remain here with the king. Send a message to the rest waiting outside to get back to the tree at the end of the tunnel, immediately!”

“Wait, what’s happening?” Dawn removed her helmet and shook out her hair.

“The tree is under attack, Dawn. Ye should remain here with yer father.” The elder Bog took off out of the throne room, following Marianne.

“Sunny!” Dawn glanced at her father. “I need to go! My fiancé is in trouble!”

“Fiancé?” Dagda’s jaw dropped at the word. “What has been going on out there? It’s only been a little over a week! Where did you get a fiancé, Dawn?!”

“The human world!” Dawn put her helmet back on, motioning to her guards. “Let’s go, we have another battle to fight. I need half our forces to return to the tree, and the other half need to finish up here and lock down the castle!” She gave orders with authority that made Dagda’s eyes widen. His eldest daughter, yes, she was destined to be a queen, but the younger one never had any such interest or even seemed capable of it. 

Dawn took off, waving to her father. “I love you, Daddy! We’ll be back soon!” She rolled in the air and took off after her sister and the Bog King, her guards close behind.

*

The cavern was almost empty of fairies, with Bog, Sunny, around thirty young armed fairies, and a handful of older fairies bearing swords surrounding the last fairies that needed to enter the tunnel. They were grouped around the entrance, passing through it a couple at a time, with breaks in between. There were also goblins trying to direct the flow and looking to Bog for orders.

Crashing sounds echoed around them, coming from various parts of the tree where the army was working its way through the temporary barricades the small group of fairies had collapsed in their way. Panicked cries came from behind Bog as he set his staff into the ground and waited. Sunny stood at his side, wearing a fairy made chest plate and holding a sword. The young man was sweating heavily and stuck close to Bog.

“Brutus, get back,” Bog snapped at his dog, who jumped out in front of him suddenly and snarled, all the fur on his back and shoulders raised. “Someone grab my dog and get him out of here!” He turned to the goblins. “And don’t eat him!”

Several goblins darted forward, grabbing for Brutus, who showed them just how fast a tiny short-legged dog could move and just how maneuverable he was. Bog sighed and rolled his eyes as the dog ran beneath him. He reached down to scoop Brutus up into one hand as a crashing sound came from across the cavern, up high. Sunlight shot through the cavern, illuminating it and the dozens of green armored fairies spilling inside.

The fairies flooded into the space, landing on the ledges with one of them flying up above them, hand up to hold them back. Bog glared at the fairy, the apparent leader, an obnoxious looking male with perfect features and a head of golden hair. There were so many fairies filling the cavern. 

Bog glanced back. There were maybe twenty fairies left to get through the tunnel. He had to buy them time to escape. Beside him, Sunny moved a step closer.

“Bog King!” Roland called out across the cavern, leveling his sword in Bog’s direction. “I see you’ve joined the resistance? That is a terrible call. We’ll be invading your forest next unless, of course, your surrender the princesses to me!”

“They’re around here somewhere!” Bog shouted, taking a step back, realizing who it was and finding a little amusement with the situation. Roland was here, not at his castle, which meant that Marianne, Dawn, and his grandfather had likely already taken the castle. They would figure out where Roland was and if Bog could play this correctly, the enemy forces could be taken by surprise. “I’m just assisting in evacuating these unarmed people! They are no threat to ye!”

“Spread out and find the princesses!” Roland gave the order, swinging his sword forward. “Stop them from escaping! Kill them if you have to! These fairies are all rebels!”

Less than a dozen frightened fairies to go. Bog glanced back, then turned to hold Brutus out to Sunny, intending to order him into the tunnel with his dog. Brutus squirmed suddenly, leaping out of Bog’s hands. “No! Brutus!” Bog grabbed for the dog, missed, then in a flash of light, the tiny dog was no longer tiny, but towering in front of them, baring his fangs.

Brutus snarled, turning on the incoming fairies who immediately pulled up and let out startled cries. The dog lunged forward, jaws snapping as Bog and Sunny watched in horror. Fairy armor was no match for a dog’s jaws, and Brutus tore through the ones he could reach. 

Bog swore, “Sunny, get into the tunnel and get out of here! I can’t leave Brutus!” He took to the air, intending to protect his dog from above. The cavern was full of green armored fairies, most trying to keep out of the way of the dog. 

Sunny glanced at the fairy soldiers and goblins behind him. They were down to only six left to go through the tunnel. He made up his mind and ran out behind Brutus, sword out to help protect the dog. Several of the remaining soldiers joined him, the rest covering the last remaining fairies and the tunnel itself.

“It’s just one dog!” Roland shouted, keeping well above and behind his soldiers. The armored fairies scattered all over the cavern, disorganized and thrown off by the presence of the fierce monster jumping and snapping in front of the escape tunnel. The smell of blood in the air, in such a confined place, triggered their natural desire to flee. 

There was no reason for them to be here. There were only a handful of fairies to fight, a small group of goblins, and retreating women and children. And the dog. The dog was terrifying, and they momentarily forgot there were more of them than the dog. 

“We can go now!” One of the soldiers shouted to Bog. “They’re all through!”

Bog winced, glancing over his shoulder. “Go on then! We’ll protect this end of the entrance! My dog can’t fit!” The soldier nodded, backing up to the entrance along with the rest of them. Goblins stood by as well. “Brutus, back! Back!” Bog landed on the dog’s head, tapping him with the butt of his staff to get his attention. “We’re going to block the tunnel!” The dog obediently backed up, snarling at the amassing armed fairies in front of them. 

“Bog!” Sunny shouted from beside the dog. “Give me a hand up!” Bog sighed, held out his scepter, and helped Sunny up onto the dog’s back.

“Ye can still escape, Sunny,” whispered Bog, turning back to the army in front of them.

“I love this dog too!” Sunny whispered back, gripping a handful of Brutus’ ruff in one hand and planting his feet on the dog’s broad back. He drew his sword again.

Bog sighed, looking up at the smug-faced fairy, keeping well out of the way of the fight above the army. “Take care of Brutus, Sunny, I’m going to do something stupid.” Bog didn’t wait for Sunny to say anything, launching himself into the air. 

“Stop him!” A look of panic crossed Roland’s face. He flapped back, doing exactly what Bog expected. The mass of fairies immediately turned away from the dog to go after Bog instead, buying them more time.

Bog smiled, realizing just how fast he was, finding himself face to face with Roland within seconds, swinging his staff. The smaller fairy jabbed at him, trying to keep him back as other fairies attempted to intervene. For the moment, they thought they were facing the actual Bog King and not his inexperienced grandson. Apparently, his grandfather had quite the reputation, because nobody was eager to get close.

“Face me one on one!” Bog circled Roland, striking at him with his staff. “If yer really a king!”

“I’m a king,” snarled Roland. “I have the crown!” He motioned to his head. “Which I took from that old has been Dagda!” Roland snapped his wings and was replaced by half a dozen of his loyal soldiers.

Bog amazed himself as he reflexively smacked the soldiers in front of him out of the air with his staff. With a snarl, he set off after Roland, relying on his instincts to fight, unsure of how he was doing it as fairy after fairy fell back. The more Roland tried to get soldiers between him and Bog, the more the soldiers seemed to be backing away from the pair of them.

Then, a soldier actually shoved Roland in Bog’s direction, and others formed up their ranks, locking the pair of them within a ring, swords out. “What are you doing? You need to protect me from the Bog King!” Roland shouted, looking for a way through his soldiers. “He’s the enemy!” His pleas were met with angry silence and the beating of hundreds of pairs of wings. “What is wrong with you? Obey me!”

“A king is more than a crown,” stated Bog, holding his scepter out at Roland. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but whatever it was, Roland had lost his control over the gathered soldiers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bog, being mistaken for his father, having responsibilities and lives thrust upon him to protect... and the army Marianne should have been facing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight begins!

Bog was about to move in on Roland, when Marianne’s voice echoed off the cavern walls, screaming his name. She came in through the opening Roland’s forces had made with more soldiers behind her. The sound of fighting rose up from outside. Bog turned his head, inadvertently responding to his name, and when he did, Roland snarled and lunged, slashing at him with his sword.

The blade made a loud thudding sound, splintering bits of Bog’s chest plate as it struck, sinking into the thick armored plating. Bog growled, looking down at the large gash running across his chest, then narrowing his eyes at Roland, who was trying to pull the blade back to hit him again. It was lodged into the thick plating, stuck firm.

Bog punched Roland, full in the face, sending him crashing down onto the floor below them. For a moment, everyone froze, uncertain about what to do, then the soldiers Roland brought with him bowed in mid-air and dropped to the ground to assume a surrendering posture. With a scowl, Bog reached down to pull the sword out of his armor, marveling that it had stuck, but didn’t actually hurt him.

More fairies came through the opening, hovering over the soldiers kneeling on the ground. Marianne flew to Bog, wincing at the sight of the gash over his chest. “Bog!”

“Yes, ye already said my name and look at what ye did distracting me like that?” Bog motioned to his chest plate with a smile, still holding Roland’s sword.

“Does it hurt?” Marianne hovered in front of him, reaching out to touch the gash. There wasn’t a spot of blood, but it looked deep.

“He’ll be fine.” The elder Bog swooped into the cavern and around them, taking stock of what was going on quickly. “Yer armor will heal over time and close up.” The three of them dropped to the floor, where Roland was groaning and rubbing his face. The surrendering fairies were careful not to land anywhere near Roland, their backs turned away from him, heads down.

Brutus still stood in front of the goblin tunnel, with fairies and goblins standing around him and Sunny still standing on his back, sword in hand.

Marianne stormed up to Roland, planting an armored foot on his chest to push him down flat on his back. She held her sword to his face, wings flared out behind her in a full threat display. “Do you yield, Roland?” she hissed beneath her helmet.

Bog and his grandfather flanked her, holding their staffs out at Roland in additional threat, daring him to make any moves. Roland blinked, looking from one to the other, momentarily confused. 

“The Bog King is my grandfather,” stated Bog proudly, glancing at him.

“Aye, my grandson did a good job on ye, didn’t he?” The elder Bog smiled back at his grandson with similar pride. “And to think, he’s barely had wings for twenty-four hours!” The Bog King cackled as Roland gave them a wholly bewildered look.

“Do you yield?” Marianne pressed harder with her foot, jabbing the point of her sword into Roland’s cheek.

“I yield! I yield!” Roland yelped as the tip of the blade shifted, cutting across his cheek. 

“Restrain him and get him back to the castle.” Marianne slipped the tip of her sword beneath the crown on Roland’s head and flipped it into the air, catching it in one hand. “I’ll take that.” She stepped back, motioning to Guthrie to take care of Roland. He and several other guards rushed forward to deal with Roland. Marianne turned back to the rest of the soldiers. “Every single one of you, drop your weapons, remove your armor, and prepare to be marked. You will not be allowed inside the castle or to serve in the army from this day forward.”

“Marked?” Bog looked from Marianne to the troops, momentarily horrified by what that could mean.

“It’s not what it sounds like,” stated the elder Bog, slapping a hand on Bog’s shoulder hard enough he almost knocked him down. “There are too many soldiers here to judge them all, but they all played their part. Surrendering is asking for Princess Marianne’s mercy. Many of them were likely only following orders to save their own lives.”

“I’m too late!” Dawn’s voice carried through the cavern as she flew through the opening and soared over the troops who were quickly getting out of their armor, surrounded by Marianne’s soldiers. She squealed at the sight of Sunny and flew to him, landing on top of Brutus, who seemed considerably calmer now that the hostilities had ceased.

“You’re right on time,” Marianne called out to Dawn. “I’m going to need your help.” Marianne flexed her fingers, having removed her glove from her right hand. “We need to get this done so we can get home.”

“I’m so glad you’re safe!” Dawn hugged Sunny tightly. “I was so worried!”

“So was I!” Sunny admitted, hugging her back.

“Dawn!” Marianne called out. “We’re marking them and letting them go.”

“You’re just letting them go?” Bog inquired as he and his grandfather loomed over her, both standing guard, just in case. 

“Oh, I’m not letting Roland go,” stated Marianne. “But I am marking every single one of these traitors, so everyone knows them on sight.” 

“Princess Marianne is merciful,” stated a nearby soldier, bowing his head. 

“Look up.” Marianne stopped in front of him, and Bog watched in wonder as the fairy lifted his head and closed his eyes. She pressed her hand over the right side of his face, and it glowed briefly, then she withdrew her hand, and the fairy was marked with her handprint, the skin showing white where her hand touched.

The fairy bowed again, thanking Marianne for her mercy, then left, shaking as he flew and was allowed to leave the cavern. Bog watched in wonder as she repeated the process, then Dawn began working through them with Sunny at her side, watching with just as much astonishment. Fairy after fairy was marked with a handprint and allowed to leave.

“It’s fall,” sighed Marianne, turning to Bog for a brief break. “I can’t exile hundreds of fairies into the cold. They would all die.”

“They are all traitors,” stated Bog, looking over the remaining fairies waiting to be marked. “I would understand.”

“Yes, but I saw that they abandoned Roland when I came in.” Marianne glanced at the remaining fairies. “I don’t think they liked what they were sent here to do when they came upon you and a bunch of unarmed fairies.”

“And my dog,” smirked Bog.

“Yeah, wow.” Marianne winced. “There are twenty or thirty bodies over there. I can’t even look at them.”

“What does the mark do?” 

“The mark is a punishment, Bog, it will always mark them as someone who is a traitor, but it also marks them as forgiven,” Marianne explained, wearily looking at her hand. She wriggled her fingers. “Every time they look into a mirror, they will remember what they did and the fact they were released because treason is grounds for a death sentence. Every one of them will know that I had the option of sending them out into the cold to freeze to death.”

Bog nodded slowly. “So it just means they can’t be trusted. What will they end up doing?”

“Working the fields most likely, gathering food, building,” stated Marianne. “Our people aren’t cruel. They will be treated fairly, they’re just not allowed to serve in the army or inside the castle. That’s what the mark is for. They are still equal citizens of our kingdom.”

“I did wonder.” Bog looked out over the cavern, where fairies were returning from the Dark Forest. 

“We’ll be done shortly, then we need to do a little more work to secure the area they broke. We will do something with this tree to make it a safe gathering place as well as a place to winter.” Marianne turned away from Bog. “Winter will be here too soon, and this little war has done a lot of damage. We need to make sure everyone is ready for the cold and has a safe place to go.”

Bog sat down on a piece of rock, watching the fairies thoughtfully, several ideas coming to mind that he could do to help them. It seemed like there were so many fairies, and the cavern was spacious, but it didn’t make for a nice home. His grandfather’s castle had been beautiful, the aesthetic of all the wood and warm golden globes soothing to Bog.

Hundreds of fairies were going to be crammed all around these fields, in Bog’s garden and the surrounding land. Was there really room for so many? Marianne told him they didn’t need help, but Bog wondered otherwise. 

*

The sky was darkening by the time Bog, Marianne, Sunny, Dawn, and the Bog King arrived at Marianne’s castle. They sent messengers throughout the day, letting King Dagda know what was going on. Roland had been delivered earlier and was locked in a cell deep within the depths of the castle. Dagda dealt with marking the soldiers that had been loyal to Roland, skipping a few who had attempted to help him while he was incarcerated, putting a few others into cells for later judgment. 

A celebratory feast awaited them, which was welcome since Bog and Sunny had barely eaten anything since morning. Brutus accompanied them to the castle and sat outside, frightening every fairy that came close and saw him.

“What am I going to do about my dog?” Bog sighed, following Marianne into a grand dining room. She had exchanged her armor for a more casual outfit, a dark blue tunic, decorated with silver stars and black leggings, also decorated with stars.

“I’ll take him home and feed him,” stated Sunny from behind him, accompanying Dawn into the dining room. 

“I guess you can’t spend the night,” grumbled Dawn sadly, playing with her far frillier silver and blue dress. “I missed you so much, Sunny.”

“Thanks, Sunny.” Bog glanced over his shoulder, then into the dining room. There was so much light and so many fairies, all looking at him. A wave of self-consciousness swept over him as he remembered he was technically standing in front of a large group of strangers entirely naked.

“Bog.” Marianne squeezed his arm. “It’s okay. You saved so many lives today.”

“I can’t believe I did,” stated Bog, walking with her to sit at a table. Dagda was waiting for them, smiling, even though his eyes still had a startled look in them. Marianne stopped next to her father while Dawn walked on the other side to stand on the other. Bog’s grandfather took his place next to Bog.

“If I may have your attention for a moment before we eat.” King Dagda called out to the assembled fairies. “Today, we welcome Prince Bog, the grandson of the Bog King into our kingdom as Princess Marianne’s husband. I assume we will be having a grand wedding at some point in the future.”

Bog nervously smiled, his eyes shifting to the tabletop in front of him. His grandfather and Marianne jabbed him in the side simultaneously to make him look up. “It may come as a surprise to you, like it did to me, that he is the human who lives in the house with the Fairy Garden who has been taking care of so many through his generosity.” Dagda continued, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye.

“Today, we celebrate my daughters, leading our people to take back their kingdom with the help of the Bog King and his grandson. Bog himself managed to save the lives of hundreds of fairies through his quick thinking and stalling.” King Dagda spoke proudly, “I am happy to welcome him into my family.”

“What about Sunny?” Dawn whispered, bouncing up and down beside her father.

“We’ll discuss him later,” her father replied with a sigh. “Along with you sneaking off into the human world repeatedly.” Dawn shrugged and giggled innocently.

“Welcome to our kingdom, Bog, Sunny.” Dagda finished, sweeping his hands out to the side. “I hope you’ll enjoy dinner tonight.” Then he sat, turning to smile at Marianne, then to Dawn.

The dinner went by slowly, with good food, fairy wine, and music. Bog and Marianne were quiet, leaning on each other as they enjoyed the food and drink. They were too tired to do much else. It had been a long day, and the two of them didn’t want to end up trapped in any conversations. Bog’s grandfather, on the other hand, managed to gather half a dozen fairy women who wanted to talk to him.

At first, the elder Bog was startled when the first fairy woman came up to him, offering him a goblet of wine. It was a move meant as an apparent offering for him to join her in conversation. Bog nudged his grandfather, and with Marianne’s added encouragement, the Goblin King got up and followed her a short distance away. 

What began as one woman quickly turned into six. Six beautiful fairy women of a variety of ages. From what Bog could see, once his grandfather started talking, he had a way with words that kept all of them enthralled in him. Bog was reminded what his grandfather told him about how none of these fairy women would ever look his way, yet these women were clearly interested in something more than just a few minutes of conversation. Word of his part in retaking the castle and kingdom had obviously spread quickly and made him more than just the outsider who occasionally showed up to festivities and stood near the king.

“So, what do you think of your first day in my kingdom?” Marianne whispered to Bog.

“The day isn’t over yet,” Bog whispered back. “Ye still have time to impress me.”

Marianne gave a little laugh, shoving her shoulder into Bog’s chest. “I couldn’t have chosen a better husband.”

“I love ye, Marianne.” Bog leaned his head on hers, sliding his arms around her to hug her close. “But let’s say tomorrow, we sleep in. For a week.”

“That can be arranged. A few hours for a honeymoon just isn’t enough.” Marianne closed her eyes, snuggling into his arms. “I love you, Bog.”

Bog held her for a moment, then took a deep breath. “We’ll honeymoon later. Tomorrow, I am going home with ye or without ye to get to work on making sure there is a home for every fairy in the garden, and it’s not some damp, wet cave.”

“Oh, I’m going home with you to help with whatever your scheme is.” Marianne tilted her head up to look at him.

“I have some ideas about using human technology. I could also use your help. We need to figure out what kind of food I can make available that can get everyone through the winter.” Bog began going over his plans, and Marianne listened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the time, big long fight scenes are not necessary. :D I believe this is the first one where a weapon gets lodged into Bog to end the fight! Hehehe.
> 
> When I got to the marking of the soldiers, which was a solution that was difficult, considering the number of 'traitors' and the fact some are true traitors and some were following orders and some were just afraid to go against the others, I liked the imagery of a handprint to mark them. Actually, the imagery came from the original run of Roswell, I realized after I wrote it. A Roswell Christmas Carol also inspired the whole hospital healing with all the kids. :D That was my favorite episode of the entire series.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bog has a plan for helping the displaced fairies winter safely, within his own home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second of two chapters uploaded today! Be sure to read the one before this first!

They decided the best room in Bog’s home was his mother’s room off the kitchen because it faced out into the backyard. The plan was to convert it into a temporary place for displaced fairies to live for the winter, with access directly out into the yard. They would be warm and taken care of, but first, the room had to be cleared. Bog called his mother chewed her out for not telling him his father was a fairy, then got her permission to move her things to another room in the house.

His mother, as usual, laughed off his anger, completely diffusing him. She told him she had no idea if he would actually turn into a fairy like his father or not. They didn’t really discuss it because Kinkaed didn’t like talking about his life as a fairy, having completely embraced a human existence. 

In the end, Griselda came by to help arrange her new room. She took over the kitchen, baking and cooking meals for them while they worked on converting her old room into a suitable place for fairies. With Marianne’s help, Bog ordered plants, a couple of ornate fountains to provide fresh water and fun, and they went over flooring plans. 

Bog’s plans called for bookshelves set into every wall from the floor to the ceiling. Then he ordered 3D printed fairy sized houses printed to slot into the shelves like books. Several fairies who were skilled builders were invited to help Guthrie among them. They were quick learners and were soon hard at work building shelves.

The weather was still nice and warm, with small drops in the temperature. Bog kept his eye on the forecasts, working diligently to get his project done. He was treating the visiting fairy workers with pancakes for breakfast when the doorbell rang, taking him off guard. 

“I’ll take care of that.” Bog turned off the griddle and went to the front door, unsure of what to expect. Sunny didn’t ring the door, he just came in when he showed up. His mother wouldn’t be back for several hours. Marianne followed after him curiously.

“Hell-” Bog opened the door, and his words caught in his throat.

Lily stood on his doorstep, with her parents standing behind her. She smiled, her cheeks rosy and no longer pale. Lily was dressed in a simple yellow sundress, her golden hair falling in neat waves around her head to her shoulders. Bog stood for a moment, staring at her in shock.

“Bog,” Lily spoke, smiling at him, her eyes twinkling. “I wanted to come by and see you, and my parents have a few words to say too.”

“We’re really sorry for our part in how people treat you, Mr. King.” Her father stated sadly, her mother nodding in agreement. The pair of them looked genuinely regretful. “We’re trying to fix that.”

“I wanted you to know, I didn’t blame you for what happened,” Lily spoke with a smile. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Bog slumped forward, resting a hand on the door frame. It was one of those things he feared most, talking to someone who had tried to help him when he needed someone and believed nobody would. Worse, it was the woman who he had hurt so badly.

“I’m sorry,” Bog whispered, despite her words. “Ye lost most of yer life because of me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lily repeated, then she saw Marianne come up being Bog and slide an arm over his shoulders. Her brown eyes widened considerably. “Uhm, could I come in for a little bit?”

“If ye want.” Bog stepped aside, unable to say no. “I’m making pancakes. Would ye like some?”

“Sure.” Lily turned and glanced at her parents. “Can you come back when I call you in an hour or two?”

“We can do that,” her mother stated sadly. “We are sorry, Mr. King.”

“Thank ye.” Bog nodded without looking up, closing the door. 

The moment he did, Lily went for Marianne, her eyes glistening as she grabbed her in a hug. “It was you! You were in my room!”

“Uhm,” Marianne froze, looking at Bog nervously.

“Don’t deny it!” Lily giggled, turning to Bog. “I heard you were completely crippled in a car wreck! She healed you like she healed me, didn’t she?! She’s some sort of fairy angel!”

Bog groaned, running his hand over his face and into his hair. “Lily, if I tell ye the truth, can you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Bog, I was in a coma for how long? And she woke me up!” Lily was giddy with excitement, clasping her hands in front of her. She turned to Marianne. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. My name is Marianne.” Marianne smiled. “Please don’t tell anyone I’m a fairy or what I did.”

“I swear, I won’t,” Lily giggled. “Now, about those pancakes?”

*

Guthrie was the only one sitting at the kitchen table, the other four fairy men having taken their plates into the workroom to avoid interacting with the human woman. Lily sat down across from him and smiled. Guthrie froze and stared at her, holding a fork loaded with pancake in front of his open mouth.

“Guthrie.” Marianne smacked him on the back of the head. Bog gave them a confused look in passing.

“Hi, I’m Lily,” Lily introduced herself.

“This is Guthrie.” Marianne attempted to remain nonchalant, swirling a bite of pancake into the pool of syrup flooding her plate.

“Guthrie? That’s an interesting name.” Lily began.

“It means windy place,” whispered Guthrie, his green eyes fixed on her.

“Do you live nearby?” Lily inquired. Marianne almost choked on her pancake.

“Yes,” Guthrie answered. Marianne groaned.

“Guthrie is a fairy like Marianne,” stated Bog, rolling his eyes at the conversation and the way Lily and Guthrie were looking at each other. “That is a secret, however, now that ye know, ye can come by anytime ye want. It’s the least I can do, Lily.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Bog.” Lily glanced at him, folding her arms in front of her. Guthrie set his fork down, a pink flush rising over his cheeks.

“Guthrie is the head of my personal guard, Lily.” Marianne stuffed a bite of pancake into her mouth. “And he’s an architect and carpenter.”

“Family trade,” Guthrie stated, then he tilted his head and made a painfully awkward attempt at flirting. “ I build things. I could build you a house, Lily, a beautiful house for a beautiful woman.”

And it worked.

Lily giggled, forgetting about Bog and Marianne. “I’m going to guess you’re not married or anything? How do fairies date?”

Guthrie rose from his chair as both Bog and Marianne stared at him. He was almost as tall as Bog but more muscular, a solidly built man. He bowed to Lily, then held out his hand. “You are beautiful, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, would you allow me to court you?” Then he kissed her hand.

“Yes,” Lily replied, blushing at the gesture, her smile widening.

“I’m seriously questioning your judgment right now, Guthrie,” groaned Marianne as he took a seat next to Lily, still holding her hand and whispering to her.

Bog winced, then laughed, “Marianne, you and I have no right to question anyone’s judgment after you showed up in my house naked, and I turned into the ugliest fairy in the world! And you still married me!”

“I knew you for more than two minutes!” Marianne shot back with a grin.

“Four days! Five Days?” Bog laughed, sliding a pancake onto a plate.

“Years, Bog, and the ugliest fairy in the world is sitting in my father’s dungeon.” Marianne smirked, pushing a forkful of pancake around her plate, soaking up the syrup.

“Guthrie, no dating until ye finish up that room,” grumbled Bog, sliding a plate in front of Lily. “Because my ability to move ye and the others back and forth is limited.”

The back door opened, and a moment later, Sunny and Dawn walked into the kitchen. Sunny was in his usual work clothes, having been at work in the back yard. Dawn was dressed similarly, but far cuter, in oversized overalls with a pale blue t-shirt beneath it.

They were followed in by Bog’s grandfather, who still stunned Bog every time he looked at him. Grandfather didn’t look much older than Bog, his short-cropped black hair edged in grey. The elder Bog shared the same build and facial shape as his grandson, down to his piercing blue eyes, but unlike Bog, he held a far more commanding aura around him. 

At first, Grandfather had been tentative about joining Bog in his home, even with the invitation, but he did have to show Bog how to go from the fairy world to the human one without his dog, as well as how to bring others with him.

The first time, Bog was relieved that his grandfather didn’t end up naked. Of course, he didn’t, he had been in the human world before, a very long time ago judging by his clothes, a white t-shirt, black leather jacket, jeans, and a pair of comfortable old converses. It was the same thing he wore now. The elder Bog gave his grandson a nervous smile.

“Good morning, Bog, Marianne.” Grandfather greeted them. “Guthrie. I see ye have a guest?”

“This is Lily,” stated Marianne as her sister and Sunny joined them at the table. “Good morning, Grandfather.”

“Yeah.” Bog poured more pancake mix onto the griddle. “Morning, Grandfather. Pancakes today.” Thankfully, pancakes were quick to make. Bog smiled, listening to the conversation going on behind him, his grandfather already engaging with Lily, and Marianne explaining that she knew about them.

His house was full of people, and they were all genuinely happy people, friends, and family. For as much as he tried to keep people away from him in the past, he enjoyed what was going on now. They were all the right kind of people.

Marianne came up behind him, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his back to whisper, “I love you, Bog.” He flipped pancakes and moved as little as he could get away with, enjoying the warm sensation of her body against his. “Let’s say we go work out rearranging your bedroom when everyone’s done with breakfast.”

“I like that idea,” Bog whispered back. “I love you, Marianne.”

Laughter rang through the kitchen, his grandfather’s voice rising above it all, bringing back memories of his father. Bog’s thoughts went to how a few weeks before, he had almost died, his life had reached a point he didn’t want anything to do with living. Now? He had a wife he adored, a new life he could escape into on occasion, and so many people to take care of.

Something about seeing all the fairies at his own size, the fact that they trusted him enough to listen to him when their lives were on the line made him want to do more. They were his people as much as they were Marianne’s, and he could protect them all. That was what gave his life meaning now, protecting his loved ones and his people, goblins, fairies, and humans.

One of the side effects of passing from the human world to the fairy one using his dog was that the process fixed the problems with his back. Bog still bore the scars, but there was nothing for Dagda to heal when it was brought up. Bog’s grandfather theorized that’s what actually drained all the dog’s energy and knocked Bog out temporarily.

“By the way, your mother has requested six grandkids,” Marianne giggled into Bog’s back.

“She would,” groaned Bog. “I’m in no hurry for that.”

“Me, either.” Marianne closed her eyes, smiling. “I want to enjoy you right now, all to myself.”

Bog flipped pancakes, swaying as Marianne moved with him, her body molding warmly against his. 

This was a good life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have NEVER looked up fairy nook shelf insert - go do that now. :D I went looking for 3D printed rooms then found the fairy nooks and had forgotten about them. This is what Bog's doing! It was such a cute idea. :D
> 
> We're going to assume Guthrie and Lily ended up together, because I do not intend to write another story and I shuffled Guthrie off to Metamorphosis for later use, since he decided to come with a backstory and personality.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story and the wrapup! It was fun to write!

**Author's Note:**

> An image that came to me randomly while I was running errands. So I had to write it down and post it.  
Why yes... this started as ONE SHORT STORY and wasn't intended to go any further, but now I have a whole story fleshed out that will take at least 50k words... so another little novel.


End file.
